Charities Fight Hookworm in Brazil

Thanks to philanthropic efforts, programs are under way in Brazil to vaccinate the population against hookworm, one of the most widespread, and preventable, viral diseases in the third world, reports The Washington Post.

The programs were made possible by a $53-million donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which, along with the Rockefeller Foundation and Doctors Without Borders, has invigorated the treatment of neglected diseases in recent years.

Hookworm—which increases child mortality and stunts learning, in addition to causing economic harm through lost labor—was targeted because it was so widespread in Brazil. In some villages, up to 80 percent of people are infected, mostly because of poor sanitation.

Although Africa is generally hit hardest by infections such as hookworm, the article reports that Brazil, which has a large number of poor people and a burgeoning medical-products industry, has emerged as an important testing ground for efforts to combat the disease.

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