Neglecting the neglected: the objective evidence of underfunding in rheumatic heart disease.
Macleod, Colin K;
Bright, Philip;
Steer, Andrew C;
Kim, Jerome;
Mabey, David;
Parks, Tom;
(2019)
Neglecting the neglected: the objective evidence of underfunding in rheumatic heart disease.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 113 (5).
pp. 287-290.
ISSN 0035-9203
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trz014
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BACKGROUND: Despite the substantial global burden of disease, rheumatic heart disease research receives little funding globally. METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study and funding from the G-FINDER database, we propose a novel logarithmic disability neglect index (DNI) to describe disease burden using disability-adjusted life years relative to funding for 16 major tropical diseases. RESULTS: Across a range of diseases, rheumatic heart disease received the least funding relative to disease burden (DNI=3.83). Other diseases facing similar underfunding include cysticercosis (DNI=2.71) and soil-transmitted helminths (DNI=2.41). CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic heart disease remains severely underfunded relative to disease burden.