On June 17-18 in Northern Ireland, leaders of the G8 will meet to discuss global priorities for the coming year.  Under the leadership of British Prime Minister David Cameron, the 2013 G8 Summit discussion topics include advancing trade, increasing tax compliance and improving global transparency.  Though they are tasked with a long list of action items, these leaders should continue to prioritize human rights and global development issues, most pressing of which is global hunger.

To catch the G8’s attention, the UK government (led by its Department for International Development), the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Brazilian Government will co-host a hunger summit titled “Nutrition for Growth”.  Set for tomorrow, June 8, this high-level event will bring together business leaders, scientists, governments and civil society to make political and financial commitments towards improving nutrition worldwide.  Through proper nutrition, kids will be able to grow physically and mentally like they should, and pregnant women will be able to keep themselves and their babies safe (also like they should).

However, if the world really wants to get serious about ensuring that everyone can access proper nutrition, we need to look beyond food and recognize that malnutrition is also caused by disease. Specifically, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have a big nutritional impact on the millions of women and children they afflict around the world.

NTDs infect one in six people, including more than half a billion children, and undermine the effects of good nutrition.   Even if children have enough to eat, parasitic worm infections (namely roundworm, whipworm, hookworm and schistosoma haematobium – the nutrient-eating parasite that causes schistosomiasis) deprive them of key nutrients essential for growth and development.  Recognizing NTDs as a cause of malnutrition is important for achieving better nutrition.

But recognition is not enough.

Global leaders need to create actionable strategies to combat NTDs and hunger.  Following on the heels of the Nutrition for Growth event, the G8 Summit is poised to promote this cause. The tools to control and eliminate NTDs have already been developed in an affordable form; a packet of pills can treat one person against seven of the most common NTDs for one year.  At a cost of just 50 cents per person annually, treatment of NTDs is cost-efficient and is considered one of the “best buys” in public health.  Especially considering the current economic climate, this safe, efficacious and high impact treatment is worthy of global attention.

With pressure from the Nutrition for Growth event, the IF Campaign and concerned citizens like you and me, the end of hunger and malnutrition is attainable.  As pressure is kept on global leaders in the run up to the G8 Summit, we hope that the global community can continue to work together to create a comprehensive approach to food security and good nutrition―one that includes eliminating NTDs as a public health threat once and for all.