…says 1.65Bn people in need of treatment for one NTD
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
As countries mark the World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, the World Health Organization, WHO has urged countries to invest more in Negeleted Tropical Diseases, NTDs in order to accelerate progress in eradicating these diseases in Communities across the world.
A new WHO Progess Report on NTDs release on 30th, January, 2023, emphasized that greater efforts and investments is required to reverse delays and accelerate progress towards the NTD road map targets by 2030.
WHO urged countries to take ownership and accountability, as well as sustainability and predi financing, more robust domestic funding, as key to achieving the NTD road map goals that would enable countries deliver on their commitments to provide quality NTD services to their affected populations.
WHO Director General , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The NTD progress report titled “Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023” highlights the progress and challenges in delivering NTD care worldwide, against a backdrop of COVID-19-related disruptions.”
He said“But as this progress report shows, we still have a lot of work to do. The good news is, we have the tools and the know-how not just to save lives and prevent suffering, but to free entire communities and countries of these diseases. It’s time to act now, act together, and invest in NTDs.”
The NTDs Report also revealed that 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.”
“A 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.”
“As of December 2022, 47 countries had eliminated at least one NTD and more countries were in the process of achieving this target.”
On World NTD Day under the theme “Act now. Act together, WHO is calling on everybody, including leaders and communities, to confront the inequalities that drive NTDs and to make bold, sustainable investments to free the world’s most vulnerable communities affected by NTDs from a vicious cycle of disease and poverty.
