Reducing the burden of parasitic infections in the United States through evidence-based prevention and control activities

The purpose of this NOFO is to reduce the overall burden of selected parasitic infections in the United States through public health practice and disease control activities. There are three components in the NOFO that address other parasitic infections, they are: Chagas disease, soil-transmitted helminths, and other parasitic diseases of domestic concern. This NOFO will continue the work of the Parasitic Disease Branch in CDC's National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases to strengthen health care providers' understanding, identification, treatment and prevention of parasitic infections in the U.S. Component A of this NOFO will focus on using existing data to develop and disseminate strategies, educational tools, materials, and guidelines related to Chagas disease diagnosis and management in the United States to: improve healthcare provider knowledge and practices, increase testing and improve management of persons with or at risk of infection with the parasite that causes Chagas disease, increase awareness, availability and use of best practices, education training tools and materials. Component B will focus on expanding the ongoing public health surveillance and disease control activities receiving congressional funding to investigate and address infections with soil transmitted helminths (including strongyloidiasis) across the Southeast United States (southern states included in the South region as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau) where these infections have historically been endemic through testing, treatment and health education. Component C will focus on prevention and control of other parasitic diseases of domestic concern that have public health significance (for example, cyclosporiasis, echinococcosis, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis). Proposals involving malaria, cryptosporidiosis, or giardiasis or those specifying international activities will not be considered. Successful strategies should have the potential to yield high impact public health outcomes, reach a high proportion of those at risk, and have the highest potential for significant impact on population health.