Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Mar;33(1):1-15.
doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2018.10.011.

Introduction to Tropical Medicine

Affiliations
Review

Introduction to Tropical Medicine

Priscilla Rupali. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Tropical medicine deals with infectious and noninfectious diseases geographically located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. It encompasses diseases that result from poverty, poor sanitation, infrastructure, and inadequate health resources. Lack of availability of clean water and food made with unhygienic practices add to the morbidity of these diseases. The tropics are reeling under the onslaught of climate change, deforestation, and air, water, and soil pollution, which worsens an already fragile health system. This article provides an overview of the definition, classification, geophysical problems, syndromic approach to common tropical infections, diagnostic challenges in the tropics, and access to medicines.

Keywords: Classification; Diarrhea; Fever; History; Introduction; Tropical medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of the tropics.

References

    1. Tropics. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/tropics/. Accessed May 24, 2018.
    1. 2014 Report. State of the Tropics. James Cook University. Available at: https://www.jcu.edu.au/state-of-the-tropics/publications/2014. Accessed May 24, 2018.
    1. Forstinus N.O., Ikechukwu N.E., Emenike M.P., et al. Water and waterborne diseases: a review. IJTDH. 2016;12(4):1–14.
    1. Kirk M.D., Pires S.M., Black R.E., et al. World Health Organization estimates of the global and regional disease burden of 22 foodborne bacterial, protozoal, and viral diseases, 2010: a data synthesis. PLoS Med. 2015;12(12):e1001921. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Torgerson P.R., Devleesschauwer B., Praet N., et al. World Health Organization estimates of the global and regional disease burden of 11 foodborne parasitic diseases, 2010: a data synthesis. PLoS Med. 2015;12(12):e1001920. - PMC - PubMed