In Brazil, millions of people are infected with intestinal worms. They drain people of their energy and vital nutrients. They can stunt the growth of children as well as sabotaging their mental development and learning. Around the world, over a billion people are infected. Although there are effective drugs to treat worm infections, they’re not universally available, can’t prevent future infections and there are concerns that resistance may be growing. Now a team of American and Brazilian scientists are trying to develop a vaccine against one of the most damaging parasites, hookworm. It will be the first vaccine against a multi-cellular organism and there are no guarantees of success. But for millions of poor people living without clean water and good sanitation, it may be their only hope.
Keywords: climate change, cuba, climate, megastorm, hurricane