New Delhi:World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day is celebrated on January 30 to raise awareness and mobilise action for a group of diseases that continue to plague 1.5 billion people globally, including the world's most vulnerable communities.
The theme for 2025 is 'Unite. Act. Eliminate', which emphasises what is needed to win the battle against these diseases, through holistic investment, technical coordination and sustained commitment.
Understanding NTDs
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) comprise 21 or more conditions related to viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasitic worms, fungi, and toxins. They thrive in areas with unsafe water, low sanitation, and inadequate access to healthcare, affecting marginalised populations. The major NTDs include African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), and dracunculiasis (guinea worm disease), as well as soil-transmitted helminthiases (such as roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm), leprosy, Buruli ulcer, and trachoma.
The Global Impact
NTDs cause a socio-economic burden far beyond the immediate health impacts. The diseases lead to disabilities, discrimination, stigma, and social exclusion, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and affects economic development. NTDs may target populations almost unseen, hence, this category of diseases has traditionally received little attention and funding, often overshadowed by other global health priorities.
Progress Towards Achievements
Since the historic London Declaration in 2012, in which partners unified across sectors to fight against these diseases, there has been great progress.
Disease Elimination:As of December 2024, in 54 countries at least one NTD has been eliminated. Among these seven were confirmed in 2024.