In a press release from Tulane University, Rie Yotsu, MD, MIPH, DTM&H, PhD, Associate Professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, detailed her experience treating skin-related neglected tropical diseases in low-income communities in tropical regions. After volunteering in Ghana early in her career, Dr. Yotsu found that she was able to combine her expertise in dermatology with public health to provide medical care to patients in resource-limited regions who otherwise have little or no access to dermatologic care. Dr. Yotsu explained that she works to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic tools available in low-income communities by utilizing technology like telehealth to provide more accessible care for those with tropical diseases. She currently focuses her efforts on destigmatizing and discovering alternative treatments for patients with leprosy—many of whom are still treated with an outdated drug, promin, which was first developed in the 1940s. Dr. Yotsu was the primary author of recent World Health Organization guidance that highlighted the significance of delivering both the appropriate drugs as well as education on hygiene and wound care to help individuals in low-income communities in tropical regions manage skin-related neglected tropical diseases. “We also need to raise awareness among the communities that this disease is not highly infectious [to reduce stigmatization],” Dr. Yotsu concluded.
September 13, 2023