Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) day is marked every 30th January as a call to action to end neglected tropical diseases[1]. These are a set of 20 different conditions as identifies by WHO that occur mostly in tropical and subtropical regions and affect the poor and vulnerable. They are termed as neglected due to fewer considerations in funding for research and development particularly in the pharma industry[2].
In response to the effects of NTDs and strategies to combat them across the world by 2030, WHO released a roadmap that is based on fundamental pillars meant to support global efforts to control, eliminate and eradicate NTDs. These pillars are geared towards ending the neglect to realize Sustainable Development Goals and they include[3]:
- accelerating programmatic action to reduce prevalence,
- morbidity and death, intensify cross-cutting approaches and
- changing operating models and culture to facilitate country ownership.
Neglected tropical diseases being one of our major advocacy focus areas, Ryculture Health and Social Innovation through its YouTH Champions Network hosted a virtual workshop to commemorate World NTDs Day 2023 to create awareness on NTDs, their burden and to equip young healthcare professionals with skills on how to tackle the burden of NTDs. The virtual workshop was held on 1st February with a major focus on Lymphatic Filaraisis (LF) and Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL).
The objectives of the workshop were to:
- To create awareness on NTDs and the burden of NTDs in Africa
- To equip young healthcare professionals with skills needed to tackle NTDs at the community level.
- To encourage concerted efforts among young people towards eradication of NTDs.
This report captures the presentations as highlighted during the workshop. A comprehensive review can be accessed through our YouTube channel here.
[1] World NTD Day. https://worldntdday.org/
[2]Neglected tropical diseases. https://dndi.org/diseases/neglected-tropical-diseases/?gclid=CjwKCAiA_6yfBhBNEiwAkmXy57dcOmDozraex6rOfltK8dVzpWkE-Ion4_egxrx6UUitcfO2hKKZzxoCv-QQAvD_BwE
[3] Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://www.who.int/teams/control-of-neglected-tropical-diseases