WS 09 - How to Ensure Sustainable Elimination of NTDs

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year. Bold and concerted action is needed to alleviate the burden of these diseases of poverty. In 2011, the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases and partners adopted a roadmap for control, elimination and eradication.

No one organization, government or company can do it alone. To realize the vision of this Roadmap, 13 bio-pharmaceutical companies, under the leadership of WHO, joined their efforts with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and numerous partners. Together they signed the London Declaration, the largest coordinated effort to date for stronger commitment, better coordination and strengthened collaboration.

Effective control can be achieved when selected public health approaches are combined and delivered locally. Implementation of appropriate measures with high coverage contribute to achieving the targets of the WHO NTD Roadmap on neglected tropical diseases, resulting in the elimination of many and the eradication of at least two by 2020. This might be the case for sleeping sickness.

However, we must be vigilant: a lower number of cases poses a challenge to the way the disease has to be tackled. Last cases are the most difficult to reach; priority shifts to other diseases; donors “fatigue” can be observed. To avoid risk of rebound and reach sustainable elimination, it is essential to further invest while ensuring optimal use of resources, to explore and implement innovative strategies, including for sentinel case management; to shift towards stronger local accountability.