Context

On World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day (January 30, 2023), WHO releases a new progress report ‘the Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023’. 

Key-highlights of the Report

• NTDs continue to disproportionately affect the poorest members of the global community, primarily in areas where water safety, sanitation and access to health care are inadequate.
• Although as many as 179 countries and territories reported at least one case of NTDs in 2021, 16 countries accounted for 80% of the global NTD burden.
• Around 1.65 billion people were estimated to require treatment for at least one NTD, globally.
• The new progress report shows that the number of people requiring NTD interventions fell by 80 million between 2020 and 2021, and eight countries were certified or validated as having eliminated one NTD in 2022 alone.
• As of December 2022, 47 countries had eliminated at least one NTD and more countries were in the process of achieving this target.

What are Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)?

• NTDs are a group of infections that are most common among marginalised communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and parasitic worms.
• NTDs are especially common in tropical areas where people do not have access to clean water or safe ways to dispose of human waste.
• Examples of NTDs are: snakebite envenomation, scabies, yaws, trachoma, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease etc.
• These diseases generally receive less funding for research and treatment than malaises like tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS and malaria.