WHO releases progress report on Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    WHO releases progress report on Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs)

    Posted 10 May 2024

    2 min read

    The report deals with progress made in 2023 towards the Road map for NTDs 2021–2030 which has targets of

    • 90% reduction in the number of people requiring treatment for NTDs
    • 75% reduction in disability-adjusted life year (DALYs) related to NTDs; 
    • Eliminate at least one NTD from 100 countries
    • Eradicate two diseases (dracunculiasis and yaws) globally

    Findings of the report

    • 1.62 billion people required interventions against NTDs in 2022
    • 5 countries eliminated one NTDs, and one country eliminated two NTDs in 2023.

    India related findings

    • 40.56% of Indian people required interventions against NTDs in 2022
    • India was certified free of dracunculiasis (2000) and yaws(2016) 

    Key challenges with NTDs

    • Lack of reliable data on a number of NTDs
    • Underdiagnosis and under-reporting due to inadequate surveillance and detection 
    • Inadequate funding and slow adoption of new NTD interventions
    • High out-of-pocket expenditure makes poor populations  more  vulnerable

    Recommendations

    • Accelerate progress in high-burden countries
    • Repositioning NTDs within the global health agenda (e.g. health emergencies, pandemic prevention, One Health etc)
    • Developing a work plan for 2025–2030, with a proper timeline and targets.

    Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs)

    • NTDs are a diverse group of conditions of parasitic, bacterial, viral, fungal and non-communicable origin.
    • Mainly prevalent in tropical areas
    • Called  ‘neglected’ as they are almost absent from the global health agenda.
    • It includes diseases such as yaws, chikungunya, dengue , trachoma, dracunculiasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, rabies, soil-transmitted helminthiases, leishmaniasis.
    • Tags :
    • Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs)
    • NTDs
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