WHO hails progress against neglected tropical diseases
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) is praising significant advancements in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with some diseases like sleeping sickness nearing elimination. However, the health body has urged for increased investment and more comprehensive action following a sharp decrease in global aid last year.
NTDs are a wide array of conditions prevalent in impoverished tropical regions, including dengue, leprosy, and rabies, which are generally ignored. A recent WHO report highlights a growing number of countries that have eradicated at least one NTD, while the number of individuals requiring treatment for such diseases has dropped by over a third between 2010 and 2024, reaching 1.41 billion.
Notably, cases of sleeping sickness have plummeted by 98% since 1999, and the infection rate of Guinea worm has dropped to a record low of just 10 human cases last year. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the widespread control of NTDs represents one of the most impressive achievements in global health.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that the progress made could be swiftly reversed. The UN health agency pointed out that scientific breakthroughs have yielded innovative tools for preventing and treating NTDs, such as a vaccine for dengue. Nevertheless, dengue cases reached a record high of 15.1 million in 2024, and deaths from vector-borne NTDs have generally increased, according to the report.
International development assistance for combating NTDs remains highly concentrated, with a limited number of donors contributing nearly 80% of all aid between 2018 and 2024. This has left the sector particularly susceptible to the substantial cuts in global aid that occurred since the previous year, according to WHO, noting that resources are still 30% below levels before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The health chief urged countries and partners to accelerate their efforts, rather than retreat, by boosting domestic financing and incorporating NTD services into primary healthcare.
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