Aid cuts may set back fragile gains in eliminating neglected tropical diseases Helps

Your editorial rightly warns that malaria could be a “canary in the coal mine” of how quickly and seriously decades of progress in global health could be unraveled by USAID’s cancellation and hesitant commitment by countries like the UK (Editorial, October 27).

Far from predicting the long-term effects of HIV and TB, malaria is likely to signal what lies ahead for a less important but similarly devastating group of pathogens – the “neglected tropical diseases”.

The World Health Organization defines neglected tropical diseases as conditions caused by pathogens that disproportionately affect poor tropical communities. These diseases include dengue, leprosy, rabies and many more diseases that cause blindness, disability and stigma – collectively affecting more than a billion people. As with malaria, many neglected tropical diseases rely on mosquitoes to transmit infection, and are expected to increase with climate change.

Thanks to support from the Global Fund, significant progress has been made in reducing malaria since 2000. This funding has saved millions of lives. Neglected Area Diseases have struggled to gain similar sustained support, relying mostly on pharmaceutical donations, international NGOs and aid from governments including the US, EU, Japan and the UK.

However, progress has been made thanks to the dedication of communities, health care workers and epidemic country programmes. Modern World Health Organization report He pointed out that the number of people affected by diseases in neglected areas decreased by 900 million between 1990 and 2021. 54 countries WHO has eliminated at least one NTD, with the pace of elimination of trachoma accelerating dramatically, and dracunculiasis (guinea worm) nearing global elimination.

With modest but sustained increases in funding, many neglected tropical diseases could become history. The impact of funding cuts is harder to measure than for malaria – many neglected tropical diseases are so “neglected” that their true burden is underestimated – but the consequences could be severe and long-lasting.

To protect fragile gains in the fight against malaria, neglected tropical diseases and other diseases, the UK government must maintain its support for international development. Eliminating these scourges is in the interest of the British people.
Professor Heather Ferguson
University of Glasgow