Morbidity Management and Disease Prevention
The NTD community has made significant strides in scaling up MDA to reach vulnerable populations across the globe; however, significant challenges remain, particularly in terms of ensuring equitable access to disease management, disability, and inclusion (DMDI) services, formerly MMDP. Research is needed to understand key barriers to the integration of DMDI services into the health care system, what additional training is required for health care workers and how to reduce barriers that prevent persons with disability from taking advantage of existing services. Beyond care for physical disabilities related to NTDs, research on the stigma surrounding persons affected and related mental health issues arising from disability is necessary. Because NTDs frequently overlap in terms of their geographic distributions, it is also important to determine how to integrate DMDI services across diseases. Finally, examples of successful country-led strategies to address DMDI services will become essential as additional diseases move towards elimination and WHO dossier submission.
