COVID-19 is set to change the landscape of global public health, with long-lasting economic and social impacts necessitating changes in approaches to tackling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that may include rethinking resources and programmatic orientation.
“WHO’s upcoming road map for neglected tropical diseases for 2021–2030 proposes a new model of operation,” said Dr Mwelecele Malecela, Director, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “This road map, with its major shifts, is even more relevant in the context of COVID-19 as it promotes resilience, health system strengthening, community participation, equity, country ownership and enhanced partner involvement through integrated, multisectoral collaboration.”
During the inaugural webinar on 17 June, two panels will discuss the shifts needed during post-COVID-19 recovery to achieve the road map targets for 2030.
The first panel will consider how the global community can build on and use innovative approaches to sustain the progress made thus far.
The second panel will explore how to align and coordinate work with countries and stakeholders, enhance multisectoral coordination to achieve the global targets and examine the role of health workers and volunteers across various interventions.
The themes of the eight other webinars (and 2020 dates) are:
- Sustainability and resilient health systems (8 July): how the road map will contribute to sustainable and resilient health systems;
- Inspiring leadership (29 July): why country ownership matters for the road map and how it will benefit patients and communities on the ground;
- Partnerships (19 August): how partnerships will play an important role in overcoming NTDs and rolling out the new road map;
- WASH (9 September): how WASH will serve as a crucial pillar in accelerating and sustaining progress towards the 2030 targets;
- Innovation (30 September): how innovation can be fostered in the post-COVID environment and the innovation needed against NTDs to reach the 2030 targets across 20 diseases;
- Integrated control of skin-NTDs (21 October): how integrated control of skin NTDs in endemic countries can be used to reach the 2030 road map targets;
- NTDs and equity (11 November): how focus on NTDs can promote equity in the effort to leave no one behind; and
- The road map, One Health and the Global Vector Control Response (GVCR), including housing (2 December): how a One Health and GVCR approach can be used to help reach the 2030 road map goals.