By: Alanna Shaikh

This is not a scientifically sound list. It is not based on any kind of criteria that make sense. It’s just my list, of what I remember as the most interesting developments in 2010 that related to neglected tropical diseases.

1.       The WHO issued its first annual report on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). I was honestly surprised to discover it was the first, but better 2010 than never, right?  This kind of formal recognition of the seriousness of NTDs is a big part of what will make them less neglected. The report itself was thorough and detailed, and called for all the right things – more research, better drug access, and support to build health systems to eliminate the NTDs.

2.       Increased private participation in global health in general, and NTDs in particular. It seemed like the private sector was everywhere this year. We saw large drug donations to treat NTDs, including a five-year commitment from Glaxo Smith Kline to provide albendazole to protect children at risk for intestinal worms and a Sanofi Adventis cash commitment of $25 million dollars. We also saw broader corporate commitment to global health in companies that ranged from Coca-Cola to venture capital efforts.

3.       The new United States government commitment to fighting NTDs. The US has always been a decent donor to neglected tropical diseases, but this is a whole new funding level.  The Global Health Initiative provided $65 million in 2010, and that amount could triple for next year. That’s a good solid number – it makes 2010 the beginning of a new US government commitment to the unsexy global health problems, something we really need. It sets an example for other donors, especially in a time where global health funding levels are being cut by many countries.

4.       The hookworm guy. Admittedly, hookworms are not the most prominent NTD, but Jasper Lawrence certainly had everyone thinking about helminthes this year. He deliberately infected himself with hookworm, because he believed it would cure his crippling allergies. He is now selling hookworms for therapeutic use, harvested from his own feces. (If you are thinking “yuck” at this point, so am I.) Jasper Lawrence, and some inconclusive research, has started a global debate about the potential value of worm infection. That has also led to global discussion about what exactly hookworms are, and who has them. For all the wackiness, it’s been a valuable, high profile discussion.

5.       NTDs expanding their territory. This year saw a lot of NTDs leaving their traditional, tropical, areas of endemic infection and spreading into new terrain. Dengue fever showed up in Florida, and Chagas disease in Europe. None of this is new – globalization has been shipping diseases all over the world for a while now, but the issue became especially visible in 2010. This has caused a lot of distress in the Southern United States in particular, where some NTDs were once endemic until eradicated by public health efforts. The thought of doing eradication again is a lot to face.

Alanna Shaikh is an expert in health consulting, writing about global health for UN Dispatch and about international relief and development at Blood & Milk. She also serves as a frequently contributing blogger to ‘End the Neglect.’ The views and opinions expressed by guest bloggers are not neccesarily the views and opinions of the Global Network. All opinions expressed here are Alanna’s own and not those of any employer or the US government.