Global Network

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are disabling, disfiguring and sometimes deadly diseases that impact 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day. These 13 parasitic and bacterial infections are the most common afflictions of the world’s poorest people. Spread by mechanisms as simple as a bite of an infected fly or contact with contaminated water, they blind, disable, disfigure and stigmatize their victims, trapping them in a cycle of poverty and disease.

Fortunately, there are highly cost-effective, proven interventions for the seven most common NTDs that account for 90% of the total NTD disease burden. For approximately 50 cents per person per year, we can treat these diseases and, in some cases, even eliminate them entirely. Particularly in these challenging economic times, that’s why preventing and treating NTDs is called one of “the best buys in public health.” In Africa, a mere $200 million a year would provide treatment to people suffering from NTDs. In Asia, the costs of deworming are as low as $0.03-$0.12 per person per year. Overall, the economic rates of return on investments in NTD control are estimated at 15-30%.

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

Ensuring children stay in school to learn and prosper. NTDs infect over 400 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 by enabling 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 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.

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