Tropical diseases remain a major global concern, not only because they affect a huge part of the world population, but also because of the growing global movement of people associated with employment, tourism, and war. Advances in molecular biology, epitomized by the genomic revolution, have brought new promises of powerful scientific approaches to fight such diseases. The WHO's Advisory Committee on Health Research recognizes this fact in its recommendation on Genomics and World Health and stresses the need for concerted efforts by scientists in the developed world, where most of the recent advances in life sciences have occurred, and those in the tropical, mostly less developed countries, where such diseases are endemic. This text exemplifies such an effort. It covers a wide range of topics that reflect perspectives of northern and southern hemispheres. It defines tropical diseases in a broader-than-usual manner. For example, the book discusses traditional tropical medicine topics of infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies. The book begins with several papers describing the vast human genetic diversity of Southeast Asia and its relationship to several genetic disorders.
These papers illustrate the future direction of genomic activities in relation to disease susceptibility and resistance. The next sections deal with malaria and four specific viral and bacterial diseases of the tropics: hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and leprosy. These are then followed by a section on general bacterial infection. Two papers on nutrition complete the volume. The book represents the proceedings of the Second International Eijkman Symposium on Tropical Diseases: From Molecule to Bedside: In the Footsteps of Christiaan Eijkman, held September 2-6, 2001, in Bogor, Indonesia.