Khadijah Aliyu Nigeria
A leading World Health Organisation (WHO) expert, Dr Maria Rebollo Polo, delivered a stark warning on the fragile state of global efforts to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
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She gave the warning at the virtual opening ceremony of the REMAPSEN Media Forum.
She cautioned that despite a decade of significant progress, gains could be reversed as international funding continues to decline sharply.
Presenting the latest global and African data on NTDs, Dr Rebollo Polo stressed that more than one billion people still live with at least one NTD, with Africa bearing the overwhelming share of the burden.
According to her, these diseases, which are most prevalent among the poorest and most vulnerable populations, continue to impose severe human, social, and economic costs.
According to WHO figures, the number of people requiring NTD interventions has dropped by 695 million since 2010, including 239 million between 2020 and 2023 alone.
Mass chemoprevention interventions have played a critical role in achieving these improvements, with 122 million fewer people needing treatment between 2022 and 2023.
Global momentum has also been reflected in the number of countries achieving milestones for elimination.
So far, WHO has validated 58 countries for eliminating at least one NTD.
Notably, 2025 recorded exceptional progress, with nine additional countries hitting elimination targets—including Niger (onchocerciasis), Guinea (trypanosomiasis), Mauritania and Burundi (trachoma), and others such as Senegal, Kenya, Egypt, and Papua New Guinea.
Yet, despite these achievements, the health burden remains staggering: 119,000 deaths and 14.14 million DALYs were attributed to NTDs in 2021. In 2024 alone, 1.437 billion preventive treatments were administered worldwide, reaching over 864.6 million people.
Around 7.5 million patientsreceived individual case management.
One of the most alarming trends highlighted by Dr Rebollo is the dramatic decline in global financing for NTDs. Between 2018 and 2023, funding fell from USD 531 million to USD 260 million a 41% drop.
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The scaling down of key donor-funded programmes, including USAID’s Act to End NTDs, has slowed mass drug administration campaigns and weakened national efforts, especially across Africa.
Dr Rebollo warned that without adequate financial support, ongoing progress towards the WHO 2030 targets may stall.
To withstand funding cuts, several African countries are adopting innovative integration models to deliver NTD services through existing health platforms:
Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda are integrating NTD interventions into primary health care.
Benin and Niger are using school- and community-based delivery systems.
Madagascar links NTD activities with vaccination campaigns.
Tanzania integrates them within nutrition programmes.
Rwanda and Togo are pursuing multisectoral strategies that connect health, education, water, and sanitation sectors.
According to Dr Rebollo, such strategies demonstrate that countries *can* maintain progress when national leadership, coordination, and community participation are strong.
Despite improvements, several longstanding challenges continue to impede NTD elimination efforts, including:
low political visibility
high reliance on external donors
shortage of skilled personnel
poor integration into national health systems
weak WASH infrastructure
She emphasised that sustainable success will require countries to establish dedicated budget lines, strengthen supply chains, adopt digital reporting systems, plan transitions from donor dependence, and reinforce community-driven surveillance.
Dr Rebollo concluded with a strong appeal for **urgent global and national mobilisation**. She identified three pillars necessary for safeguarding recent gains:
1. **Strong national leadership**
2. **Embedding NTD interventions within primary health care systems**
3. **Diversifying funding sources**
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Failing to act, she warned, could erode more than a decade of progress, further exposing vulnerable communities to preventable diseases.
“Fighting NTDs is not just a health investment,” she emphasised. “It is an investment in equity, education, productivity, and Africa’s health sovereignty.”