Focus on Tropical and Infectious Neglected Diseases

The impact of the lack of access to high-quality and regionally-relevant health information in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is especially important for the case of (neglected) tropical and infectious diseases as LMICs are where most of the disease burden occurs. 1,5 billion people needed mass or individual treatment and care for neglected tropical diseases in 2016 and these diseases disproportionally affect socio-economically disadvantaged groups (UN, 2018). Outbreaks of infectious and zoonotic diseases in Cambodia and Indonesia are multiplying, as exemplified by recent avian influenza and Nipah virus outbreaks. Antimicrobial resistance due to over-use of antiobiotics is rising and multidrug-resistant malaria or tuberculosis strains are common in Cambodia. Indonesia has seen several natural disasters in recent years, followed by an increase in infectious disease outbreaks such as diarrhoea, skin rashes, tuberculosis and cholera. There is therefore a need to provide health information focused infectious and (neglected) tropical diseases. Travel health will also be a topic, as an increasing number of SEA regional travelers can be confronted with infectious disease risks during travel.