Fighting Infectious Disease at its Source
Second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease in the world, schistosomiasis annually infects 200 million people and claims 200,000 lives. Another 800 million people are at risk, predominantly across Africa, eastern Latin America and southeast Asia. While there are existing cures, reinfection rates are very high.Jason Rohr, the Ludmilla F., Stephen J. and Robert T. Galla College Professor of Biological Sciences and chair of the biology department, works in more than 20 Senegalese villages alongside local partners such as Espoir Pour La Santé (EPLS) and Station d’Innovation Aquacole to address issues related to schistosomiasis.The infection is caused by a parasite that resides on snails, which live in weedy rivers and lakes where people drink, bathe, and launder. Rohr realized the number of parasites would decrease if the number of snails decreased, which could be achieved if the weeds decreased. Working alongside local partners in St. Louis, Senegal, they started weeding the water. Immediately, disease reinfection rates fell. What’s more, the villagers used the weeds to feed livestock and as compost fertilizer to increase food production. This became an added incentive for the community to remove the vegetation. A simple solution helped solve problems in disease, energy, and food scarcity.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/InfectiousDiseaseWWYFF
More from What Would You Fight For?
- 1:01Still fightingThe beloved What Would You Fight For series celebrates 100 episodes, and Notre Dame continues its fight to improve the lives of others
- 2:02Fighting Disease (Haiti)Father Thomas Streit, C.S.C., Department of Biological Sciences, Haiti Program Since 1997, Notre Dame has been committed to the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. Through the mass treatment of more than 1.3 million people annually, the Haiti Program, led by Notre Dame biologist Father Thomas Streit, is one of the world's premier initiatives against elephantiasis.
- 2:01Fighting On and Off the FieldIn Nepal, millions of girls suffer in extreme poverty, deprived of even the most basic human rights. Many are abandoned, abused, or forced into child labor. University of Notre Dame women's soccer player Lindsay Brown and her 2010 national champion teammates are doing more than just hoping for a better life for Nepali girls; they're helping them to achieve it.Through a series of campus fundraisers, the women's soccer team sponsored the education of several girls at the Nepal's Kopila Valley School. Fighting to make an even bigger impact, Lindsay traveled to Surkhet over the summer to volunteer as a teacher, as well as to establish the school's girls soccer team. Their efforts truly demonstrate the power of athletics to educate, to inspire, and to build community. http://fightingfor.nd.edu/nepal
- 2:01Fighting For Breakthroughs in the Treatment of Autismhttp://fightingfor.nd.edu/autism/ One out of every 100 children in the United States is diagnosed each year with autism, a disorder that affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. An interdisciplinary research team led by Notre Dame psychology professor Joshua Diehl is studying the effectiveness of robots in behavior-based communication therapies for children with autism, in an effort to break through barriers and discover effective treatment plans.
- 2:01Fighting To Preserve Our HeritageWhat if, in an instant, one of the world's most renowned, most beloved, most iconic sites was destroyed? Across the globe, many important cultural heritage monuments face the real threat of ruin by human or natural disaster. Scholars at Notre Dame are helping to ensure the preservation of these treasures.Architecture professor Krupali Krusche has launched a Digital Historical Architecture Research and Material Analysis initiative, which is mapping World Heritage Sites like the Taj Mahal and the Roman Forum with unprecedented precision and detail. The digital assessments will be translated into 3-D models which will provide essential information to best preserve and restore these sites in the future.Professor Krusche's comprehensive mapping technology and expertise have led her to be recognized as a leading expert on the construction of Taj Mahal. After earthquakes devastated much of nearby Nepal last spring authorities called on Professor Krusche to assess the condition of the Taj Mahal and identify any deterioration to ensure the future of the Indian landmark.
- 0:31We Are The Fighting IrishAt Notre Dame, we fight for what we believe in. Through ethical leadership, education, research and outreach, the University seeks to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings, but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.