Aim of the Joint
IAFSW-MiSAC Competition
To develop an understanding among teenagers of the impact of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) on global health,
and how climate change may impact their distribution around the world.
Sand fly: vector that transmits the parasite
Trypanosoma brucei
Freshwater snail: vector that transmits
Mycobacterium leprae : bacteria (red)
Vampire bat: a vector that transmits
Triatoma pallidipennis
Background
NEGLECTED TROPICAL
DISEASES AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
NTDs have not been widely studied, though they affect over
1.7 billion people on our planet. They are usually found in tropical areas, particularly in the southern hemisphere. They largely affect impoverished communities, often in remote areas. Poor water quality, sanitation, hygiene and healthcare in these areas heighten their impact. Twenty conditions have been designated NTDs, and most are caused by a parasitic, bacterial, viral or fungal pathogen.
Many are spread by various animals, that act as vectors , while others pass directly between infected people.
NTDs cause serious illnesses, damaging patients’ attendance at school or work, and may be fatal. Some also cause disfigurement, often resulting in social stigma and isolation. In addition, some NTDs also affect animals, which can harm farming practices. Both wild and domestic animals can act as reservoirs of infection (eg, game animals for sleeping sickness) or directly transmit the infection to humans (eg, dogs spread rabies). The economic impact of NTDs is huge; in affected areas, they trap vulnerable
populations in cycles of poverty, costing developing countries billions of pounds each year.
NTDs are preventable and treatable but affected communities often lack the resources to tackle them well. In general, effective vaccines against NTDs are not yet available. Treatment options are limited, may have significant side effects, or are met with pathogen resistance. In 2020, the World Health Organisation published a roadmap to control, prevent or eliminate the NTDs by 2030 and progress is being made.
However, climate change may make this more difficult. Rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns may alter vector habitats, allowing them to expand into new areas. Warmer winters may allow arthropod vectors to survive longer. Extreme weather events also displace people, resulting in overcrowding within temporary shelters. These can increase the spread of NTDs and may bring people and vectors closer together, helping the transmission of NTDs. Extreme weather can also disrupt healthcare, housing, sanitation and food security, and the changing climate increases poverty, malnutrition and poor health,
worsening the effects of NTDs.
Object of the competition
You are required to design an illustrated, web-page report
for teenagers to raise their awareness of NTDs.
Select one neglected tropical disease.
Describe the disease in English, including its symptoms, where it is found in the world, preventative measures and treatments, and the impact it has on affected people and communities.
Describe the pathogen that causes the disease and what is known about how it is transmitted.
Discuss how climate change may alter the spread, global distribution and impact of the disease.
What makes a good web page?
Effective web pages rely on being not only informative but
attractive, lively, well-designed and often amusing, in order to
make an immediate visual impact. This can be achieved by
using photographs, diagrams, drawings, plus data and
sources of further information. Make the presentation of your
entry entertaining for its intended audience – teenagers.
Format of entries
- Students may produce your entry either by hand or computer.
- Students use a single A3 sheet of paper or two A4 sheets taped together (a combination of diagrams / photographs / graphs), scan the paper and save it in PDF format.
- Teachers are required to register and then submit the students’ PDF files at https://ntds.iafsw.org no later than May 1, 2024.
- Teachers must provide hard copies of the entries and deliver them to the following address: Wizdom Park Bldg. 3 Soi 23 Chaloem Phrakiat Ratchakan Thi 9 Road, Nongbon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250 Thailand, ensuring it reaches us no later than May 15, 2024.
- The entry may be submitted by an individual or a group of not more than four students.
Rules
- Only entries that conform to the competition rules and show scientific merit will be considered; note the requirements and consider the suggestions given on the front page.
- Each entry must be submitted on paper, on one A3 sheet (or two A4 sheets taped together) using one side of the paper only, and may be produced either by hand or by computer.
- Entries may be created either by individuals or groups of no more than 4 students.
- A maximum of 10 entries per school in each entry group is permitted.
- Account will be taken of originality, presentation and effectiveness in communicating with the intended audience.
- Evidence of plagiarism, such as downloading text directly from web sites without modification and interpretation, will result in disqualification. (IAFSW and MiSAC recommends only reputable sites for research; see www.open.ac.uk/webguide for tips on using the internet.)
- Each entry must be clearly labelled on the back with the name and address of the school, the teacher' name, the full name of each contributing student and the entry grade (Grade 7, 8, or 9)
- Entries cannot be returned and may be used for promotional purposes by IAFSW and MiSAC.
Five top tips
- Use the scientific name of any pathogens you mention.
- Don’t forget that the first name (genus) begins with an upper-case letter and the second name (species) has a lower-case initial letter (eg Trypanosoma brucei ). This can be abbreviated, for example, to T. brucei after its first use.
- Use italics for the scientific name - or underline it if your entry is hand-written.
- Use your own words because plagiarism (which is cheating) will be penalised.
- For data and other material used to illustrate your entry, provide information of their sources.
Neglected tropical disease.
- Buruli ulcer
- Chagas disease
- Dengue and chikungunya
- Dracunculiasis; Guinea-worm disease
- Echinococcosis
- Foodborne trematodiases
- Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
- Leishmaniasis
- Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
- Lymphatic filariasis/Mycetoma
- Chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses
- Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
- Podoconiosis
- Rabies
- Scabies and other Ectoparasitoses
- Schistosomiasis
- Soil-transmitted helminthiases
- Snakebite envenoming
- Taeniasis/cysticercosis
- Trachoma
- Yaws and other endemic treponematoses
- Noma
Website Articles Reference
Examples of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) articles that competitors can use to make web pages easy to understand and interesting.
#Video
NTDs Knowledge
NTDs Knowledge” represents insights and expertise from specialists in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). It encompasses expert perspectives, research findings, and educational content aimed at enhancing understanding and addressing the challenges posed by tropical diseases affecting marginalized populations
IAFSW Offerings
Video
6 Videos
Public Information
Prizes
A certificate will be awarded to each student submitting an entry of scientific merit. The results, winning entries and a report of the competition will be published on the IAFSW website competition pages at https://ntds.iafsw.org