Why is it in the news?

• The World Health Organization (WHO) released a progress report on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), focusing on advancements made in 2023 towards the Road map for NTDs 2021–2030.

More about the news

Targets of the road map:

• It includes a 90% reduction in the number of people requiring treatment for NTDs, a 75% reduction in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) related to NTDs, elimination of at least one NTD from 100 countries, and global eradication of two diseases: dracunculiasis and yaws.

Findings of the report:

• In 2022, approximately 1.62 billion individuals needed interventions for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) globally.
• By 2023, five countries successfully eliminated one NTD each, while another country eradicated two NTDs.
• In India,56% of the population required NTD interventions in 2022, with the country being certified free of dracunculiasis since 2000 and yaws since 2016.

Key challenges with NTDs:

• It includes a lack of reliable data, underdiagnosis, underreporting, inadequate surveillance and detection, insufficient funding, slow adoption of new interventions, and high out-of-pocket expenditures that make poor populations more vulnerable.

Recommendations:

• Accelerating progress in high-burden countries, repositioning NTDs within the global health agenda (e.g., emphasizing their importance in health emergencies, pandemic prevention, and One Health initiatives), and developing a work plan for 2025–2030 with clear timelines and targets.