Leprosy Mailing List – October 17th, 2007
Ref.: "Neglected
Diseases"
From: Gusmão R. d’A., Caracas, Venezuela
Dear Dr. Noto,
I refer to Dr Convit’s LML
message dated October 16th, 2007. I agree with the term
“diseases of neglected populations”, however within the
international cooperation actors, the name became difficult to be
accepted because of the judicial liability that could be associated
with a State that recognizes that part of its population is indeed
neglected.
So, the term was associated
with the lack of research interest shown towards some diseases
(orphan/neglected), which could not by itself, return the research
effort through the purchase of the technological development that
could result from it. As
these diseases that prey essentially to the miserable and the reason
for the lack of research is the same misery, that affects these groups
of populations, the international community began to call them
"Neglected Diseases", hoping that the meaning of it would
not deny the basic social principle of social justice, that is needed
and have oriented Dr Convit’s life time work.
Best regards,
Renato Gusmão
Renato d'A. Gusmão, MD; MPH; ScD.
Head of Mission of the
Pan American Sanitary Bureau
and Country Representative for the
Pan American Health Organization/
World Health Organization
for Aruba, Nederland's Antilles and Venezuela
Sexta Avenida de Altamira, 43
Altamira, Caracas 1060
Venezuela
Telephone: (58-212) 267.1622
Fax: (58-212)
261.60.69
e-mail: gusmaore@ven.ops-oms.org
http://www.ops-oms.org.ve
