Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) impact more than one billion people worldwide. They mostly occur in tropical climates and disproportionately affect people who are already vulnerable, whether due to poverty, marginalization, geographic location, or living conditions. These diseases are neglected because they have largely been ignored by the traditional pharmaceutical industry, resulting in too little research for better treatments and diagnostics.
30 January is World NTD Day: As part of our work developing urgently needed treatments for people with neglected diseases, this day is an important moment for us to raise awareness.
Advocating for greater investment in research and innovation for NTDs
We used social media to raise awareness about NTDs and the need for medical innovation to develop better treatments. In a short video developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization, our colleagues Natália Veras and Raquel Gomes explain dengue’s growing threat – and why we need urgent action to develop a treatment for the disease.
We are grateful to everyone who helped us advocate for a future without NTDs.
‘The neglected waterborne parasite costing African women their dignity’
Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is transmitted when women and girls come in contact with water contaminated with the parasitic flatworm Schistosoma haematobium. The disease can be extremely painful and stigmatizing and can lead to prolonged suffering and long-term gynaecological and reproductive harm. In the run-up to World NTD Day, our Parasitic Worms Programme Leader Dr Dearie Okwu spoke with Kenya’s Health Business about the social consequences of FGS being misdiagnosed and misunderstood – and the action needed to ensure millions of women and girls get the healthcare, visibility, and dignity that they deserve.
Ending sleeping sickness in the DRC
A powerful new short documentary film from Devex – From risk to remedy: Fast-tracking the end of sleeping sickness – tells the remarkable story of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s progress towards sleeping sickness elimination. DNDi’s Head of West and Central Africa Clinical Operations, Dr Wilfried Mutombo Kalonji, joins partners in chronicling the powerful global alliance in medical innovation that has revolutionized sleeping sickness diagnosis, treatment, and care and brought hope to communities now at the cusp of being free of the deadly disease – for good.
Neglected tropical diseases in the media
Media attention plays a key role in raising awareness about NTDs, so we were pleased to see news outlets around the world shining a light on NTDs and on partnerships working to end the neglect:
- BMJ Global Health: Global health is in crisis: to reach neglected patients, we need to reimagine medical research
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: World NTD Spotlight – Dr Monique Wasunna
- Life360-Healthwise: Neglected tropical diseases: Hope to eliminate
