Global Network

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are parasitic and bacterial infections that are widespread among people in poor, rural and peri-urban communities. They are the most common infections of the “bottom billion,” and result in a global disease burden equivalent to HIV/AIDS or malaria.

Research has shown that significantly reducing the burden of NTDs could lift millions out of poverty by:

• Ensuring children stay in school to learn and prosper. NTDs infect over 600 million school-aged children throughout the developing world. Treating their infections is the single most cost-effective way to boost school attendance. Controlling intestinal worms alone will help to avoid 16 million cases of mental retardation and 200 million years of lost primary schooling.

• Strengthening worker productivity. Global NTD control can contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to developing economies through increased worker productivity. Controlling hookworm alone could improve future wage earnings by an extraordinary 43% in the developing world. In Kenya, deworming could raise per capita earning by 30%, and it is estimated that in India, lymphatic filariasis causes a $1.5 billion USD loss in gross national product each year.

• Improving maternal and child health. Treating NTDs greatly reduces adverse pregnancy outcomes and cuts the prevalence of anemia and malnutrition, which cause 35% of the global disease burden, in children under five. For less than a 10% add-on cost, combining NTD treatment with current malaria control efforts significantly reduces anemia-caused morbidity and mortality for both mothers and children.

It's easy to help end the neglect. We can increase awareness of NTDs and generate the momentum and political will necessary to eliminate these disabling, disfiguring, and deadly diseases:

• Make a Donation. Your contribution will help support our efforts to control and eliminate NTDs. Each dollar you give can provide treatment for two people for seven diseases for one year. Donate now.

• Organize or Participate in a Just 50 Cents Campaign. Just 50 Cents is the Global Network's grassroots fundraising and awareness campaign. A donation of just 50 cents can provide treatment for the seven most common NTDs to an individual for an entire year. Learn more.

• Spread the Word. NTDs are neglected for a reason—most people have never heard of them. Join the Global Network online—through Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter—and educate your friends, family, and colleagues about the fight against NTDs.

• Purchase a Global Network T-Shirt. Join the fight against NTDs by purchasing a Global Network T-Shirt. Make checks payable to the Sabin Vaccine Institute, c/o the Global Network and write GN T-shirt on the memo line. Mail checks to Sabin Vaccine Institute, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 7100, Washington, D.C. 20009. T-shirts are $20.

• Take Political Action. Building momentum is critical in achieving global NTD control. In order to do so, we encourage political leaders in the United States Government and abroad to take action. Learn how to help.

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