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Long, winding road to eliminating neglected tropical diseases
More than 1 million people in Indonesia still suffer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as leprosy, filariasis and snail fever or schistosomiasis.
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This photo taken on Jan. 18, 2023, shows former leprosy patient Harto sitting in a wheelchair in front of his house in “kampung kusta“ or leprosy village in Tangerang, as his legs are not strong enough to wear prostheses. In a densely populated neighborhood just outside of Jakarta, a community is fighting to reclaim their dignity and future after battling for decades with stigma and discrimination caused by leprosy, a debilitating yet almost forgotten disease. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he Health Ministry is urging local authorities to encourage people to maintain a healthy lifestyle and environment amid government efforts to eradicate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), although experts argue that the problem will need more systemic solutions.
There are more than 20 NTDs caused by a variety of pathogens and associated with devastating health, social and economic consequences, but they are almost absent from the global health agenda, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The United Nations health body has created a road map to fulfill its aim to prevent or control NTDs by 2030.
More than 1 million people were still infected by such diseases, the ministry’s public health director general Maria Endang Sumiwi said during the World NTDs Day commemoration in Jakarta on March 6.
Indonesia still reports at least eight NTDs, including leprosy, yaws, filariasis and snail fever (schistosomiasis).
In 2023, health authorities reported over 14,000 new cases of leprosy, and in 124 cities and regencies, the disease’s prevalence was more than 1 case per 10,000 people.
Although yaws is rarely found in Indonesia, regional health agencies in Maluku and provinces in Papua have reported about 69 new cases this year. Snail fever is found in the Poso and Sigi regencies in Central Sulawesi, Maria added.
