If gains made tackling neglected tropical diseases are not to be lost, the sector must continue programming amid the COVID-19 pandemic and find ways to make up for missed or delayed treatment, Dr. Jeremiah Ngondi, senior NTD adviser for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases East program at RTI International, told Devex in an interview. Otherwise, NTDs stand to become further neglected.
Affecting more than 1.7 billion people worldwide, NTDs are a group of 20 communicable diseases — including leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, and visceral leishmaniasis — that, despite often being preventable, have debilitating and sometimes fatal consequences.
At the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization had recommended postponing community-based surveys for NTDs, active case-finding activities, and mass treatment campaigns. It has since provided a decision-making framework to help determine whether an NTD activity should proceed.