Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Agriculture Intensifies To Promote Food Security, Prevention Research For Buruli Ulcer Also Must Intensify
"Buruli ulcer could spread as agriculture intensifies in Africa, making prevention research vital," Rousseau Djouaka, a researcher at the Benin branch of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), argues in this SciDev.Net opinion piece. "The intensification of lowland agriculture has been linked with the increased incidence of human diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis and Buruli ulcer (BU)," he writes, noting, "Of these, BU remains the least well documented and most neglected in the wet agro-ecosystems of west and central Africa." He provides statistics regarding infection rates in Africa and notes, "People affected by the skin infection, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans, develop large ulcers which often result in scarring, deformities, amputations, and disabilities, especially when the diagnosis is delayed."
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