Why is it in the news?
- UAE and charities at COP28 pledged $777 million for eradicating NTDs.
- Contributions include $100 million each from the UAE and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- World Bank launched a program to support public health in developing countries, focusing on climate-related health risks.
- Tropical diseases’ burden expected to worsen with climate change, along with threats like malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
About NTDs
- NTDs comprise 20 conditions prevalent in tropical areas, affecting impoverished communities, particularly women and children.
- Caused by various pathogens: viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins.
- Linked to poverty, limited healthcare access, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene.
- Common in low-income populations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
- Historically receive less attention and funding for research and development, hence termed “neglected.”
- NTDs thrive in rural areas, conflict zones, and hard-to-reach regions.
- Flourish where clean water and sanitation are scarce, aggravated by climate change.
Neglected Tropical Diseases in India
- India bears the world’s largest absolute burden of at least 10 major NTDs.
- Diseases include hookworm, dengue, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, kala-azar, rabies, ascariasis, trichuriasis, trachoma, and cysticercosis.
Government Initiatives in India
| Program/Initiative | Objectives/Activities |
| National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) | – Conducts mass drug administration.
– Distributes bed nets. – Promotes vector control. |
| National Health Mission (NHM) | – Aims for accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare, including populations affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). |
| Kala-azar Elimination Programme | – Launched in 1990-91.
– Target for elimination by 2023 (WHO’s NTD Road Map goal is 2030). |
| Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) | – India actively participates. |
| National Deworming Day (NDD) | – Launched in 2015.
– Aims to reduce the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis among children through mass deworming programs. |
