Testing for lymphatic filariasis, Mwanaidi Mtui takes a blood sample from a boy in a public school in Vikuge Tanzania. (Paul Jeffrey/IMA World Health)

NTD Summit highlights progress made to end neglected diseases

  • Apr 21, 2017
Testing for lymphatic filariasis, Mwanaidi Mtui takes a blood sample from a boy in a public school in Vikuge Tanzania. (Paul Jeffrey/IMA World Health)

The NTD Summit came to an end April 22, but the momentum from the event will continue to resonate within the global health community and beyond.

The summit, held April 19-22 in Geneva, drew well-deserved attention to some of the most neglected diseases in global health—and the incredible programs and partnership working to address them.

The Economist published a feature story on progress against NTDs since the London Declaration. The piece uses NTDs as proof to show that foreign aid works: investing in NTDs has removed obstacles to development; improved public health systems and disease surveillance; and encouraged countries to invest in defeating diseases. In the article, Dr. Upendo Mwingira, the NTD Program Manager at the Ministry of Health in Tanzania, shares her observations from her work with people who suffer from NTDs. IMA World Health works closely with Mwingira on the USAID-funded ENVISION ProjectRead the full article.

Additional coverage of NTD work included:

Commitments made on neglected tropical diseases at WHO summit (Devex)

The world’s assault on tropical diseases is working (STAT)

War on neglected diseases heats up (Nature)

Ghana gains strides in NTDs Control (Ghana News Agency)

CDC Neglected Tropical Diseases informational graphic

And a video from the Carter Center of Nigeria’s Minister of Health and the Carter Center’s CEO discussing river blindness elimination, a cause that IMA World Health has been working toward for more than 20 years in Tanzania.

Follow along on social media with #NTDSummit17:

 

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