'All that matters is our unbreakable spirit: Toward the end of NTDs in Tanzania' and other NTD news

School-based targeted preventive chemotherapy (PC), the main strategy for soil-transmitted helminths (STH) control, excludes other at-risk populations including adults and preschool children. Mass drug administration (MDA), covering all age groups, would bring additional health benefits but also requires greater investment. This cost survey and cost-effectiveness analysis compared MDA with school-based targeted PC for STH control in Dak Lak, Vietnam, where STH are endemic.

The prevalence of post-operative trichiasis in the study area was similar to that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation range. Trachoma trichiasis was observed on the lower and upper unoperated eyelids of the study participants. Therefore, sustainable interventions should be considered in the study area for all the components of the SAFE strategy, particularly on S component.

Since the last few decades, Tanzania has achieved record-breaking and remarkable economic growth and is becoming a country that is also attracting attention from around the world, not just in Africa. Since I first set foot in Tanzania in 2011, I have witnessed the changing landscape of Tanzania and the modernization of systems across society. The health sector is no exception. In particular, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan’s progressive and bold political moves are seeking to transform the country in various ways to improve the development of hospitals and health facilities, increase access to medical facilities for all Tanzanian people, and provide maternal and child healthcare services on a continuous basis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is taking a significant step to address challenges in diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by introducing a pilot scheme for a WHO Expert Review Panel for Diagnostic Products (ERPD) for NTDs. This pilot initiative aims to enhance the quality assurance and accessibility of NTD diagnostic tools for health-care providers.

The WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (WHO/NTD) manages a diverse portfolio of 20 diseases and disease groups, each with its own unique epidemiology and diagnostic challenges. Programmes to address each of these diseases have different targets according to the particular disease’s profile: control, elimination as a public health problem, elimination of transmission, or eradication. Programmatic targets may change for any particular NTD over time as new tools are developed and global attention brings in increased support.

In spite of the diversity of disease programme targets, it was felt that there were common areas across programmes that would benefit from the establishment of a single working group for diagnostics. The Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group (DTAG) was formed to mould a unified approach for identifying and prioritizing diagnostic needs, and to inform WHO strategies and guidance on NTD diagnostics.

The first meeting of the DTAG was held at the Inter Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2019. The second took place virtually in October 2020, the third in June 2021, and the fourth in October 2021.

Several disease-specific and cross-cutting DTAG subgroups have been formed, resulting in the development of target product profiles (TPPs) for new diagnostics, some of which have been published, and some of which are in production.