Approximately 1.6 billion people in 149 countries are affected by NTDs, with the burden concentrated in the poorest communities.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can shatter the lives of those they infect, causing severe disability, illness and death if left untreated. NTDs kill 170,000 people every year, but their biggest impact is in the millions they disable and disfigure.
In 2012, GHS helped galvanize a diverse group of NGOs, private and public partners to sign the London Declaration on NTDs – committing to control, eliminate or eradicate 10 NTDs by the end of the decade. This commitment paved the way for catalytic progress against NTDs.
Five years later, the partnership to end NTDs has become the largest medical donation program in the world.
To illustrate this scale, in January 2017, industry partners around the globe made a collective donation of more than 200 million NTD treatments. While this represents less than 10% of the total number of treatments these companies donate every year, it was more than enough to set a Guinness World Record for “most medication donated in 24 hours.” Watch the full story below.
There is more than Pandora’s hope at the bottom of the box: humanity is now capable of driving many NTDs out of existence by 2030.
The Economist, April 2017
With continued investment and expanded partnerships, GHS believes that we can beat these diseases – unlocking enormous economic and global health benefits.
Achieving NTD goals produces broad benefits for both global development and the global economy.
Watch this 360o video of Godfrey Yonasi Cheleni, a health worker in charge of delivering drugs to treat lymphatic filariasis in Malawi.
