Monthly Archives: January 2013

Neglected Tropical Diseases Take Center Stage in London

london declaration


By Mawish Raza

In light of the one year anniversary of The London Declaration, a series of events took place in London this week that that continued to highlight the important role neglected tropical disease (NTD) control and elimination plays on the global health and development agenda.

Dr. Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, addressed The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (APPMG) on Tuesday. Dr. Mistry discussed the progress since the initial launch of the London Declaration and emphasized the role of integrated treatment approaches in order to help meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target to control and eliminate the most common NTDs by 2020.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also announced a new partnership with the Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum to launch the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research this week. The center will provide researchers with tools to raise further awareness and solutions to investigating NTD control, mapping and diagnosis. Continue reading →

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Forms of Social Justice

london declaration, social welfare, socio-economics


By Mawish Raza, Communications Intern for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

I have always been keen to recognizing different social justice movements. However, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are new to me. As someone who has recently joined the Global Network to advocate action against NTDs, what has struck me most is the lack of awareness and priority placed on preventing and ending the spread of these diseases.

Governments in developing nations invest a great deal of time and effort to encourage and stabilize their economies in order to increase profits. Yet halting the dispersion of NTDs is also a key component in optimizing production in industries such as agriculture and fishing. Individuals that are impacted by NTDs often live in poverty and don’t have the capacity to fight the diseases they are faced with. NTDs influence the lifestyle and attitude of not only individuals that are affected, but of their larger community – from their own family to their neighbors. Each day that a person isn’t able to go to work or make it to school is one less day that could have provided a step to profitable and personal enrichment. The impact of NTDs isn’t an issue that works in isolation; it impacts the larger community. These diseases create deeper roots for poverty to sustain in these poorly assisted communities – a poverty that not only impacts the social structure of a community, but one that digs deep into the health and mind.

The fact of the matter is that in order to bring an end to the spread of NTDs, the global community needs to address its existence.  Recognizing these diseases draws light to the fundamental influences that handicap individuals, which further impact the nation’s economy, literacy rate and development. Continue reading →

One Year after the London Declaration, Experts Speak Up

NTDs

 

Happy birthday, London Declaration! A year ago today, the leaders of 13 pharmaceutical companies, governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other global health organizations joined together in an unprecedented effort to eliminate 10 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the year 2020.

We had sat down with many leaders in the NTD community this past November while they were visiting Washington, DC during the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases: Translating the London Declaration into Action meeting. We had the unique opportunity to hear about progress achieved during the last year, the challenges that remain in meeting our goals, and stories of their personal commitment to controlling and eliminating NTDs.

We hope you enjoy hearing some of their perspectives as much as we did.

New Congress, renewed administration

Global Development, Global Health, Obama Administration, Politics, U.S Government


Heather Ignatius, a senior policy and advocacy officer with PATH’s Advocacy and Public Policy team in Washington, DC, recently wrote about her thoughts on global health and development priorities for the second-term Obama administration and the 113th Congress. Thanks to PATH for allowing us to share her piece.

As President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term yesterday, I wondered: will he return to the idealism of his early presidency? Or will the nation’s challenging fiscal and political climate dampen his aspirations for improving the health of people in impoverished countries?

Four years ago, I was optimistic that nearly a decade of strong bipartisan support for global health programs would continue. President Obama came out of the gate fast, launching the Global Health Initiative (GHI) within months of his inauguration. The GHI made some notable progress. It encouraged planning led by the countries it was formed to help, improved the health status of women and girls, and promoted changes to integrate health programs and strengthen capacity within those countries.

Outgoing secretary of state Hillary Clinton emphasized support for women and girls. Photo: PATH/Mike Wang.

But Congress has paid out only a little more than half of the funds needed to achieve the program’s bold goals. This has forced the administration to lower its targets, jeopardizing the future of global health programming and overall health gains. Continue reading →