India, March 28 -- Stigma & absenteeism associated with skin diseases should encourage health authorities make the treatment of these diseases free of charge

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of 20 diseases found mostly in tropical regions that are strongly associated with poverty. Among them are skin diseases like scabies, leprosy and yaws. They are caused by some bacteria, viruses, mosquitoes or mites and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), they affect more than one billion people worldwide, mainly in the lower-income settings.

These skin diseases are particularly common in most African countries. For example, the estimated at-risk population on the continent requiring intervention for lymphatic filariasis (an abn...