Ending the neglect: lessons from a decade of success in responding to neglected tropical diseases in Africa

Overview

Progress in eliminating and eradicating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is one of Africa’s greatest achievements. Nineteen countries in Africa have eliminated at least one NTD and there are currently 18 million fewer people requiring interventions against NTDs. Togo achieved a world first by eliminating four NTDs. Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) is on the verge of eradication; sleeping sickness (T. b. gambiense human African trypanosomiasis) has been eliminated as a public health problem in seven countries; and the number of reported Buruli ulcer cases decreased by 71% between 2010 and 2021. These substantial gains, many of which have been realized over the past decade, are built on over 70 years of shared experiences in NTD prevention, control, elimination, and eradication efforts.

The real-world impact of these efforts in the African Region has been significant and rapid, reshaping communities in less than a generation. Children growing up today are far less likely to suffer from these diseases, which were common among their parents and grandparents. Initiatives targeting NTDs have been responsible for health system strengthening efforts among some of our most neglected communities, paving the way for improved healthcare, better sanitation and enhanced disease control.

This report brings together the lessons we have learnt from a decade of success, the foundations for which can be traced to several key factors, starting with an initial paradigm shift in viewing NTDs as a group. This led to opportunities for integrated approaches, simplification, cost-effectiveness, and streamlined efficiency. Integration is a fundamental enabler of NTD response efforts, one that continues to evolve and build on its successes. The Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN), launched in 2016, is WHO’s flagship project for tackling the five most prevalent NTDs in the African Region amenable to preventive chemotherapy through mass drug elimination.1 ESPEN has been pivotal in mobilizing political, technical and financial resources to reduce the burden of NTDs in the region. Ending NTDs will indeed end the neglect. This remains a major focus of the work of the WHO Regional Office for Africa.