Tropical Medicine & Surgery

A Short Note on Tropical Medicine

Dirk Carmen^* Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B.P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
^*Correspondence: Dirk Carmen, Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B.P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal, Email:

Received: 04-Jan-2022, Manuscript No. TPMS -22-256; Editor assigned: 06-Jan-2022, Pre QC No. TPMS-22-256 (PQ); Reviewed: 20-Jan-2022, QC No. TPMS-22-256; Revised: 24-Jan-2022, Manuscript No. TPMS-22-256(R); Published: 31-Jan-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2329-9088.22.10.256

Description

Tropical medicine is a field of interdisciplinary medicine that deals with health problems that are unique, more common, or more difficult to control in the tropics and subtropics.

Tropical medicine deals with infectious and non-infectious diseases geographically located between cancer and the tropics of the Tropic of Capricorn. It encompasses diseases resulting from poverty, poor hygiene, infrastructure, and inadequate health resources. The lack of availability of clean water and food produced using unsanitary practices contributes to the prevalence of these diseases. The tropics are moving under the onslaught of climate change, deforestation, air, water and soil pollution that are already exacerbating fragile health care systems. This article outlines definitions, classifications, geophysical issues, syndromic approaches to common tropical infections, diagnostic challenges in the tropics, and access to medicines.

Water sanitation and hygiene

Freshwater accounts for only 2.5% of the total water resources on earth. Of this, only 0.3% is available as surface water, with the rest occurring in polar ice sheets, snow cover, and aquifers. Water scarcity is defined as less than 2000 cubic meters of water per person per year. In the tropics, the number of countries with water stress has tripled since 1962. This shortage is the most severe in South Asia, with 90% of the population considered vulnerable, followed by North Africa and the Middle East at 62%.

Food borne

Foodborne illnesses are defined by the WHO as diseases of infectious or toxic nature caused by the consumption of contaminated food or water. They are classified into two broad groups: intoxication and infection. Intoxication is caused by ingestion of toxin produced by pathogens, whereas infection is caused by ingestion of food containing viable pathogens. Intoxication is also possible by eating animals that have consumed toxin-producing organisms. Foodborne diseases result in considerable morbidity and mortality, and contribute to significant costs in tropical countries. Many of these are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, and prions through contaminated food.

Vector borne

Vector-borne illnesses pose a serious financial and health burden, and many who survive the infection are permanently debilitated, hurt, or blind. Vector thrives in poor housing, unsafe water, and polluted environments, hitting the poor in developing countries.

Other tropical diseases

Insect bites: Insect bites can cause problems and are toxic or non- toxic. Poisonous insects attack as a defense mechanism and inject painful poison from puncture wounds. Non-toxic insects bite to eat mammalian blood.

Snakes are widespread in rural areas of tropical countries. Snake bites are a serious occupational danger to farmers and fishermen. In general, the two major families with the highest morbidity and mortality include the Viperidae and the Elapidae. Snakebites have now been included as a neglected tropical disease with one of the highest rates of mortality as demonstrated by the million deaths study.

Cancers: About 16% of cancers worldwide are caused by infectious pathogens in developing countries and are the second most important cause after tobacco. Controlling infection can prevent up to one-tenth of cancers in developing countries. Human papillomavirus is the most common infectious agent, followed by hepatitis B and Epstein-Barr virus, which are involved in cancers around the world.

Malnutrition and related nutrient deficiencies

Protein malnutrition and vitamin and mineral micronutrient deficiencies are common in tropical countries and often contribute to impaired infant growth and poor child health indicators. Universal immunity and nutrition in day care centers through lunch meals has played an important role in alleviating this problem, but is common in many countries suffering from poverty and hunger.

Classification of tropical diseases

Tropical diseases are divided into infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. Infectious diseases, by definition, include diseases that infect humans and are further classified as diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, parasites, and fungi. Non- communicable diseases are diseases caused by genetic and lifestyle factors such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease. In addition, snake bites, scorpion bites, and sea and land poisoning are also management dilemmas.

Fever in the tropics

Each region of the world is unique and unique to a particular tropical disease. Through the geosentinel network, there is currently a large amount of data on the causes of fever for travelers, as opposed to data from tropical regions. Available studies use a contradictory definition of “acute undifferentiated febrile illness” and rarely confirm the diagnosis.

Neurologic syndromes

Tropical neurological disorders, although rare, are the cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Travel history, including geographic areas and activities performed, possible exposures, vaccinations, preventive and protective measures, and the immune status of the host, can help determine the etiology of a particular neurological syndrome. There is a possibility.