The World Health Organisation’s roadmap on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and the London Declaration on NTDs are marking their 5th anniversary this year.
In support of this anniversary, LSTM’s Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (CNTD) and the COUNTDOWN programme have collaborated with other NTD organisations in the UK to highlight the progress made so far in tackling NTDs.
COUNTDOWN and CNTD have worked with organisations such as Sightsavers, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Mott MacDonald, to create a concept note that will inform discussions at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Malaria & NTDs meeting, which takes place in London on Tuesday 21st February 2017 as part of the celebrations of the London Declaration and ahead of the WHO NTD Summit taking place in Geneva 19 – 22 April 2017.
LSTM’s input will certainly help identify the gaps that need to be filled in the fight against NTDs as highlighted in the London Declaration.
CNTD is supporting lymphatic filariasis (LF) programmes in 12 African and Asian countries which include: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Tanzania and Zambia. In 2016 alone, CNTD treated 33.8million patients with LF, especially in supporting hydrocele surgeries.
COUNTDOWN brings together neglected tropical disease researchers, policy makers, practitioners and implementation research specialists, from the UK, USA, Ghana, Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria to generate knowledge about the realities of increasing the reach of NTD treatment in different contexts. Through implementation research COUNTDOWN will investigate the effective, cost-effective, sustainable and acceptable current and complementary strategies for scale-up. COUNTDOWN is working on research to identify factors that influence acceptance, efficiency, and equity impact of scale-up within the health system.
As we approach 2020, it becomes more pressing for us to achieve those ambitious goals we set out in 2012. This celebration provides room to reflect on the past five years and increase the impetus to reach the set benchmarks.