The United States government congratulates the Malian people for eliminating trachoma—the leading infectious cause of blindness—as a public health problem.

Covid-19 resulted in a staggering 336.8 million years of life lost globally, according to a new analysis from the World Health Organization. Each death caused by the pandemic led to an average loss of more than 22 years of life – equivalent to over five years of life lost every second, this year’s World Health Statistics report found.

That plastic bag lying in your backyard can trap water, which provides fertile breeding ground for millions of parasites, bacteria or viruses. This could come back and hurt your health and loved ones. According to health experts, uncollected waste creates a big risk in terms of creating breeding ground for disease vectors.

Astellas Pharma Inc. announced that it has committed to supporting the 3^rd phase of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), together with a cross-sector group of funding partners. The cross-sector group has committed over US$200 million to the GHIT Fund. Furthermore, we have contributed to the GHIT Fund for three consecutive terms since the inception of the GHIT Fund.

The GHIT Fund launched in 2013 to leverage Japanese expertise and capability for life-saving health innovations, including drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, to combat infectious diseases including tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)*¹ prevalent in the world's poorest countries.

On Africa Day, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, Thoko Elphick-Pooley, celebrates five examples of phenomenal progress to tackle NTDs in Africa

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) are one of the most significant health issues around the world. Their burden is significant in Ethiopia with an estimated five million cases reported annually. This study aimed to evaluate the 10-year trend of IPIs at the Grarigy Health Center in northwest Ethiopia.

Harnessing the potential of AI can improve the lives and wellbeing of vulnerable communities everywhere including those of women and children. As AI technology continues to swiftly evolve and advance, the global community must move with urgency to ensure low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are included in the co-creation process.

This request for proposals seeks innovative and safe approaches to the use of Large Language Models (ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capability). The foundation hopes to build an evidence base on this issue – informed by the communities we serve – to ensure this technology ultimately improves the lives of the world's most vulnerable people. This initial call is an opportunity to identify, nurture, and catalyze the creativity, energy, and skills that researchers, implementers, governments, and technical partners have demonstrated in solving specific challenges in their countries and regions through Large Language Models. We are optimistic that this will lead to more investment from the Gates Foundation, GC partners, and other funders.

The community's achievements in operational research have been critical in advancing NTD control and elimination efforts. In the 10 years since COR-NTD was established, NTD programs have made amazing progress. What do you think are the community’s most important operational research achievements during that time? Answers will be compiled into a survey.