Tag Archives: World Health Summit

Impacting NTDs and the “Big Three”

NTDs, Public Health, , , ,

The 2011 World Health Summit wrapped up last month in Berlin, Germany. The Global Network was in attendance represented by Managing Director Dr. Neeraj Mistry, who discusses on the ONE Campaign Germany blog the importance of integrating efforts to address NTDs with those that address the “Big Three” – HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Find the English version of the blogpost below:

By: Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

The 2011 World Health Summit brought together over 1,500 global health experts from over 75 countries to raise awareness of key issues in global health during October 23-26.  One such issue that the global health community must address is neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Over the last month, I’ve talked with you here on the ONE Deutschland Blog about the global impact of NTDs. We desperately need to draw attention to these diseases, to raise public awareness, and eventually eliminate NTDs.  At the World Health Summit, the Global Network hosted a symposium where we discussed the link between NTD control with control of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Today I’d like to extend that discussion to you.

NTD treatment improves not only the health, but also the economic development and education of individuals and entire communities. Addressing NTDs will be essential to meeting the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), meant to help lift the world’s poorest countries out of extreme poverty by the year 2015. In light of that, the United States, the United Kingdom and other G8 member countries have made commitments to NTD programs that have resulted in enormous gains in the treatment and prevention of these diseases. Continue reading →

The Case for a Global NTD Initiative

Global Health, NTDs, Obama Administration, , , ,

As the 2011 World Health Summit approaches next week, the Global Network’s Managing Director Dr. Neeraj Mistry contributes another blogpost to the ONE Campaign Germany. Find the English version below:

By Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director, Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

In my previous blog post, I identified neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as some of the most common yet widely unrecognized diseases currently in the global health arena. NTDs have debilitating effects–impairing the health, economic development and education of the world’s poorest people, also known as the “bottom billion.” We call them neglected diseases because the 1.4 billion people who suffer from NTDs are often far from the houses and minds of people living in the developed world. It’s not all bad news, though. Not only are many of these diseases entirely treatable and preventable, but there have already been significant steps taken towards the control and elimination of NTDs.

Through the remarkable commitment of the United States, the United Kingdom and members of the G8, we have seen enormous gains in the treatment and prevention of NTDs around the world. The U.S. government’s commitment to eliminating NTDs has rapidly expanded in recent years. Through the establishment of USAID’s NTD program, the U.S. created a unique and extremely cost-effective public-private partnership that successfully facilitated the first large-scale efforts to integrate existing disease-specific treatment programs. Since its launch in 2006, the USAID NTD program, in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry, has expanded to countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas–improving the lives of more than 168 million people by delivering approximately 387 million NTD treatments, and training more than 200,000 community workers. Continue reading →