From Mother to Child, Passing on Disease (IMAGE)

University of Iowa

From Mother to Child, Passing on Disease

Caption

UI researchers are reminding US doctors to watch for two vector-borne and potentially life-threatening diseases -- Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis -- that can be passed from mother to child through the placenta. The child in this photo suffers from Leishmaniasis, which is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, substantial weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver, and anemia. If the disease is not treated, the fatality rate in developing countries can be as high as 100 percent within two years.

Credit

Photo courtesy of the World Health Organization.

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