Summarized by Franciscka Lucien

In an editorial in the August edition of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute Dr. Peter Hotez calls for emerging market economies to join the US, UK, and Japan as partners in neglected tropical disease (NTD) control efforts. Entitled “Neglected Tropical Disease Control in the ‘Post-American World,’” Dr. Hotez states that the US and UK have already started commitments of up to US$100 million annually for NTD control — with plans to possibly double this amount by 2011 — while Japan has provided additional funding for global parasite control. Still, successful control of NTDs requires new financial support to complement current control and elimination efforts by the US, UK, and Japan. Emerging market economies must now join in the control efforts and share this commitment.

NTDs disable and debilitate 1.4 billion people worldwide living on $1.25 a day who are often the poorest of the poor. These parasitic, viral, and bacterial infections are devastating. NTDs disproportionately impact the emerging world and exacerbate poverty by impairing child development, maternal health, and productivity.

As little as US$0.50 annually is needed to help eliminate this global health threat.  Even with a modest commitment, BRIC, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other emerging market nations can provide the funding necessary for mass drug administration (MDA) – which is the wide distribution of treatment throughout an affected community – to support the elimination of the seven most common NTDs. This commitment will also provide resources for development assistance to what Dr. Hotez refers to as “the other 50 truly devastated nations.”

Dr. Hotez emphasizes that in the “Post-American World” the geopolitical and economic transformation of emerging nations could have a wide-ranging impact on the control of NTDs. He concludes that “BRIC countries, Nigeria, Indonesia and other emerging market economies, as well as the wealthy GCC nations in the Middle East, must agree to take on this challenge.”

To read the full article, please visit the PLoS website.

Franciscka Lucien is a research intern at the Global Network.  She is currently an MA/MPH candidate at The George Washington University.