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Global leaders celebrate progress in fight against NTDs
Global leaders gathering in Paris, France, today, are set to announce that a landmark private and public partnership launched two years ago has catalyzed momentum and crucial resources against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) â parasitic and bacterial infections that put one in six people worldwide at risk of being sickened, disabled and disfigured
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lobal leaders gathering in Paris, France, today, are set to announce that a landmark private and public partnership launched two years ago has catalyzed momentum and crucial resources against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) ' parasitic and bacterial infections that put one in six people worldwide at risk of being sickened, disabled and disfigured.
'The tremendous progress we have seen over the past two years is proof of the power of partnerships and the generosity of companies that made commitments under the London Declaration,' said World Health Organization (WHO) director general Margaret Chan in her remarks at the gathering.
'Together with the governments of endemic countries, we are fast approaching the goal of controlling or eliminating many of these ancient causes of human misery. This is a pro-poor initiative that is improving the lives of more than a billion people,' she went on.
The London Declaration declared in 2012 put the collective weight of 13 leading pharmaceutical companies, global health organizations, private foundations, and donor and endemic country governments behind a new push to reduce the global burden of NTDs.
Since the declaration, the partnership has made strong progress in ramping up efforts to reach the WHO's goals to control or eliminate a number of these diseases by the end of the decade.
The Paris gathering today coincided with the release of a new report highlighting gains over the past two years, including pharmaceutical companies meeting 100 percent of requests for drugs, and endemic countries taking ownership of NTD programs.
It is said several WHO partners have announced new funding toward the fight against NTDs.
A group of partners is committing more than US$120 million to address intestinal worms common in communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation, including $50 million from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
The World Bank Group, which has long played an important role in fighting onchocerciasis (river blindness) is committing $120 million to achieve NTD control and elimination goals in low income countries in Africa, including funding for school-based deworming efforts. (ebf)
