Advanced therapeutic technologies for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV infection and neglected tropical diseases

Abstract

We are pleased to present this special issue to highlight advances in therapeutic technologies for infectious diseases, in particular for treatment of tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria. Informative reviews as well as original research articles form part of this Issue. The world’s deadliest infectious diseases TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria are responsible for close to 2.5 million deaths world-wide, each year.[1] Over 90% of deaths due to malaria occur in subSaharan Africa, with the majority of deaths occurring in children under 5 years of age. Infectious diseases are responsible for ≈704 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and the African region bears the highest burden, with ≈314 million DALYs; while high-income countries account for only ≈31.8 million DALYs.[2]