WHO has validated Benin and Mali as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making them the fifth and sixth countries in WHO’s African Region to achieve this significant milestone. Countries that previously received WHO validation for trachoma elimination are Ghana (June 2018), Gambia (April 2021), Togo (May 2022) and Malawi (September 2022).

Mali has become the 17th country to receive the World Health Organization’s validation of the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. The Carter Center, Helen Keller Intl, and Sightsavers are proud to have worked together in partnership to support the government of Mali in their fight against trachoma. This decade old partnership was made possible through the support of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Eye care nonprofit Orbis International today announced that it has distributed 100 million doses of azithromycin antibiotics in Ethiopia. This is part of ongoing efforts to eliminate trachoma, an infectious, painful, and blinding eye disease, by 2030, in line with World Health Organization goals.

Against the background of eliminating [trachoma] from Benin and Mali, trachoma control in Nigeria is currently facing numerous challenges. Survey challenges According to data from Middle East African Journal of Opthalmology, many districts (local government areas) of northern Nigeria have some data on trachoma, which is based on either trachoma rapid assessment or an epidemiological survey.

RTI International, a nonprofit research institute and leading international development organization, is pleased to join Bangladesh, the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for International Development in celebrating the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a significant public health problem in Bangladesh.

Brugia malayi is one of three human filarial parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis, a debilitating and chronic neglected tropical disease that currently threatens more than 859 million people in 50 countries worldwide. 

Schistosomiasis is a disease of global medical and veterinary importance, caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma. Around 200 million people, and an untold number (possibly in the billions) of animals are estimated to be infected, globally.

Certain schistosome species can infect humans (e.g. Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium), others animals (S. bovis, S. curassoni), and some species can infect both humans and animals (i.e. are zoonotic, e.g. S. japonicum).

Researchers at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) tested the efficacy and safety of the drug emodepside in a field study on Pemba Island in Tanzania. The aim is to control infections with parasitic worms that are transmitted through the soil, so-called helminths.

People affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), specifically leprosy, Buruli ulcer (BU), yaws, and lymphatic filariasis, experience significant delays in accessing health services, often leading to catastrophic physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences. Global health actors have recognized that Sustainable Development Goal 3:3 is only achievable through an integrated inter and intra-sectoral response. This study evaluated existing case detection and referral approaches in Liberia, utilizing the findings to develop and test an Optimal Model for integrated community-based case detection, referral, and confirmation. We evaluate the efficacy of implementing the Optimal Model in improving the early diagnosis of NTDs, thus minimizing access delays and reducing disease burden.

On May 12th, the eve of the G7 Health Ministers' Meeting, global health leaders from around the world convened in Nagasaki to call for the prioritization of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Gathering at the Symposium for G7 Health Ministers' Meeting in Nagasaki, "Accelerating Research, Development, Access, and Delivery for Neglected Tropical Diseases," hosted by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), Nagasaki University and Uniting to Combat NTDs (Uniting), leaders and the community^*1 jointly developed the Nagasaki Outcomes Statement, which calls for the acceleration of R&D, access, and delivery for NTDs.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) generally most impact the poor in low-income regions. The “neglected” aspect of NTDs refers to their absence from the global health agenda resulting in limited funding from international agencies. A focused and concerted effort in improving the quality of healthcare in the most NTD-affected regions could have a huge positive impact in improving lives, yet these efforts are often hampered by a low level of awareness. Typically, when we think of NTDs dengue fever, leishmaniasis or even rabies are at the forefront of the public consciousness. This month we use our Editorial to bring awareness to Chagas disease (CD), one of the more neglected of the NTDs and the subject of April’s WHO awareness day.