When we decided to do the One Hundred Friends for Haiti campaign we were very selective about the conditions that we chose to treat. We considered the available epidemiologic data and reviewed treatments for cost-effectiveness and potential long-term impact. Without a doubt, parasitic worms and malaria came out on top.
Our decision to treat these diseases was reinforced by a recent article in the Proceedings of The Royal Society here. The authors concluded that "infectious disease remains the most powerful predictor of average national IQ when temperature, distance from Africa, gross domestic product per capita and several measures of effect are controlled for" (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0973).
Parasitic worms rob a child's body of the nutrients necessary to grow and thrive. Malaria puts extreme physiologic stresses on a developing immune system unable to deal with the infection. In the cases of cerebral malaria the consequences are devastating.
By focusing on these diseases we are investing in the long term health and development of the people in this region. We are maximizing our resources, your donations, to have a broad and lasting impact.
Please support our efforts by donating $10 on the Paypal button on this blog or here at iscmed.org.
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