It’s been a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) released the first comprehensive report on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The Global Network celebrated the launch of this report with a reception this time last year and we still remember the excitement surrounding this important release when it was first announced.  In honor of this anniversary, WHO released an updated version of the report, which can be downloaded here. Below are remarks from WHO’s General Director Margaret Chan on the updated version of the report:

“It is a year to the day since the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first report on neglected tropical diseases.

Almost always out of sight and rarely in news headlines, neglected tropical diseases are found exclusively among poor populations in deprived rural communities. They cause misery and disability, sometimes life-long, to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Working to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases, launched by WHO on 14 October 2010, provides evidence that existing safe, simple and effective interventions, implemented during the past seven years, are improving the health and quality of life of populations in 149 countries where many of the 17 diseases* occur. Approximately 90% of their burden can be treated with medicines administered only once or twice a year.” Click here to continue reading.