One billion people were treated for at least one neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which include kala azar, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, intestinal worms such as hookworm, roundworms and whipworms, affect the poor and marginalised, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the Global Partners’ Meeting on NTDs in Geneva Wednesday.
“WHO has observed record-breaking progress towards bringing ancient scourges like sleeping sickness and elephantiasis to their knees,” said WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan.
“Over the past 10 years, millions of people have been rescued from disability and poverty, thanks to one of the most effective global partnerships in modern public health”.
The WHO report, “Integrating neglected tropical diseases in global health and development”, demonstrates how strong political support, generous donations of medicines, and improvements in living conditions have led to sustained expansion of disease control programmes in countries where these diseases are most prevalent.
In 2012, the WHO partners endorsed a WHO NTD roadmap, committing additional support and resources to eliminating 10 of the most common NTDs.
However, the report has stressed on the need to further scale up action in other areas.
“Further gains in the fight against neglected tropical diseases will depend on wider progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Dirk Engels, Director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Meeting global targets for water and sanitation will be key, he said in a statement here.
The WHO estimates that 2.4 billion people still lack basic sanitation facilities such as toilets and latrines, while more than 660 million continue to drink water from “unimproved” sources, such as surface water.