Developing World Health with pharmaceutical companies, institutions, hospitals and other organizations to conduct medical research on new cures or treatment approaches to NTDs. Founded in 2008 by Dr. Stuart Smith, FLS, Developing World Health aims to target four major NTDs: Leishmaniasis, African Trypanosomiasis, Chagas Disease, and Dengue Fever. Combined, these diseases affect 3.2 million people annually across the globe.

In early 2012, the organization attended the top-level meeting, the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases, alongside the Global Network, which similarity advocates for broader use of existing medicines to treat seven leading NTDs with its END7 Campaign. Developing World Health is working on developing two pharmaceutical products that it has identified as highly promising treatments against its four NTD targets. Inspired by the London meeting, Founder Dr. Smith is confident that it is possible to fully treat and prevent NTDs among the world’s poorest populations. He states that, “there’s a good probability that, if not elimination, we will at least make a major impact on some of these diseases.” 

Dr Smith’s work also focuses on the revealing link between NTDs and HIV/Aids.  Studies have shown that the reasons for HIV/Aids prevalence in Africa does not necessarily come down to sexual promiscuity and unprotected sex. In fact, it has been revealed that young, sexually active women with genito-urinary schistosomiasis are three times more likely to contract HIV. Dr. Smith believes that “there’s a very strong link between co-infection with NTDs and an increased risk of getting HIV. [It’s] a very important area and one we [Developing World Health] hope to rais[e] awareness of.”

Developing World Health collaborates with Global Network founding partner Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI). Click here to learn more about what Developing World Health is doing.