Seventh report of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases (STAG-NTDs)

Overview

The seventh meeting of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases (STAG-NTD) was held at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, on 8–9 April 2014.

The Chairman, Professor Peter Holmes, welcomed the members of STAG and led members in observing a minute’s silence in memory of Professor Pierre-Ambroise Thomas, a former STAG member who passed away recently.

Dr Hiroki Nakatani, WHO’sAssistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, opened the meeting by identifying three main areas forSTAG to consider: (i) changes in the landscape of NTD control;(ii) specific issues relating to NTDs; and(iii) strategic questions. He reminded STAG that the NTD landscape within the scientific community, the donor organizations and the Member countries has changed over the years. Much of the population requiring preventive chemotherapy (PC)interventions are nolongermostlyin low-income countries but are now among the poor in low middle-income countries. Discussion of the post-MDG 2015 agenda is currently very active, and NTD issues must be communicated to the diplomats who are working on it. Disease-specific issues include dracunculiasis eradication, which is in the last mile; human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), which needs to move from control to elimination; and yaws eradication, which will require greater commitment. Finally, Dr Nakatani posed some strategic questions to STAG: How can we ensure that NTDs are high on the post-MDG agenda? How can we get buy-in for NTD control from middle-income countries like Brazil? How can we support Member States where overseas development assistance is not available (e.g. middle-income countries)?

Dr Nakatani ended by noting that this is Dr Savioli’s last STAG meeting as Director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases(WHO/NTD), and thanked him for his outstanding service to WHO.