Noma: The deadly disease many doctors haven't even heard of

Polio rethink; UTI clues; Swahili DNA [View this email online]( [NPR]( Goats and Soda editor's note Shuran Huang for NPR A while back, Dr. Daniel Bausch, a virologist, came to NPR headquarters and fielded questions about a disease outbreak scaring the world. Is the virus airborne? Do low resource countries have enough staff to treat the sick? What plays a role in determining if a patient survives or dies? These are of course some of the key questions we've been asking about COVID-19 during this pandemic. But [Bausch's visit came in 2014,]( as Ebola was spreading in West Africa. He had been on the front lines in Guinea and Sierra Leone, caring for patients. Ebola, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, mpox -- it's been a rough decade for humanity. Bausch was in Washington, D.C., for meetings in March, and correspondent [Nurith Aizenman caught up with him.]( Things have changed since our 2014 story. For one thing, he sees significant improvement in Africa in "the architecture for outbreak response." And he wants to make sure the world is ready for whatever virus is out there. His current priority is changing the way we tackle outbreaks: "Making sure that ... the world can come up with tests to diagnose people with the new disease – and make sure those tests are available not just in wealthy countries but in the lowest income ones." [Read the interview with Bausch here.]( Marc Silver Editor, Goats and Soda neglected diseases Claire Jeantet and Fabrice Caterini / Inediz [A deadly disease so neglected it's not even on the list of neglected tropical diseases]( It's called noma and is a disease of poverty, striking mainly children. Most patients die. Survivors are badly disfigured. Now there's a campaign to add it to the list of neglected tropical diseases. in the news Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images [School attacks are on the rise in Brazil, prompting debate over solutions]( The numbers are far lower than in the U.S. but school attacks are definitely on the increase, prompting soul-searching — and a national debate over strategies to prevent future tragedies. [A robot answers questions about health. Its creators just won a $2.25 million prize]( At the Skoll World Forum this week, South Africa's Reach Digital Health was one of five honorees. They offer health advice via mobile phones to millions, focusing on pregnancy, babies and COVID. [The dream of wiping out polio might need a rethink]( When public health specialists look at the annual case counts, some see a trend that raises questions about how realistic the goal of a polio-free world might be. [Why do some people get UTIs over and over? A new report holds clues]( A new study looks at how urinary tract infections can affect DNA. And down the road that could lead to new treatments for the millions who get UTIs. history Gideon Mendel/Corbis via Getty Images [What's the origin of the long-ago Swahili civilization? Genes offer a revealing answer]( Genetic analyses back up what Swahili oral tradition has long held about ancestry of people from eastern Africa — that their ancestors are from Africa and abroad. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- links we like - The New Yorker asks ["Why Were Two Female Running Champions Killed in Kenya?"]( - It looks as if[chances of developing long COVID after a second infection]( significantly lower than from a first infection. NPR's Shots blog has the story. - An elephant that was given to Pakistan's Karachi Zoo fell into her pool and is fighting for her life. Critics say the zoo does not properly care for her. Dawn tells [the sad story of the 17-year-old pachyderm Noor Jeha.]( - A 1970s movie house in Rajasthan looks like ["a dollop of pink ice cream that's frozen mid-melt,"]( writes The BBC, which pays tribute to its semi-mysterious architect WM Namjoshi. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [goatsandsoda@npr.org](mailto:goatsandsoda@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Health, Daily News, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Goats and Soda emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]