The WHO’s Global Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Programme has released its latest eport, marking two decades of international action against some of the world’s most persistent and poverty-linked diseases. Since its establishment in 2005, the programme has coordinated efforts among national health authorities, pharmaceutical partners, research agencies, and global donors to curb the devastating impact of NTDs.
The new report, reviews progress achieved during 2023-24 toward the 2030 roadmap targets set out in Ending the Neglect to Attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Road Map for NTDs 2021-30. It highlights measurable progress in disease control and elimination, while warning that climate change, shrinking funding, and fragile health systems could slow or reverse these gains.
A Global Overvieq
According to WHO estimates, 1.495 billion people required interventions against NTDs in 2023, a reduction of 122 million compared to 2022, and a 32% decline since 2010. Between 2015 and 2021, the overall disease burden fell from 17.2 million to 14.1 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). During the same period, annual NTD-related deaths dropped from 139,000 to 119,000. The number of people living with NTDs declined from nearly 1.9 billion in 1990 to just over 1 billion in 2021. In 2023 alone, 867.1 million individuals received treatment for at least one NTD, of which 99% were through preventive chemotherapy. While the overall trajectory is positive, the report notes uneven progress across diseases and regions. Vector-borne diseases such as dengue, leishmaniasis, and human African trypanosomiasis continue to challenge public health systems, particularly in tropical and subtropical zones.
The WHO included Noma as the 22nd Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) in its updated list in 2023.
Milestones in Disease Elimination
One of the most striking achievements of 2024 was the validation of 7 countries for eliminating at least one NTD:
Brazil and Timor-Leste eliminated lymphatic filariasis,
Chad eliminated gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT),
India, Pakistan, and Viet Nam achieved elimination of trachoma
Jordan was verified for elimination of leprosy.
This brings the total to 54 countries that have eliminated at least one NTD as a public health problem, with 75 successful elimination acknowledgements overall.
In 2025 alone, India along with Fiji, Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Burundi. Mauritania eliminated Trachoma as a Public Health Problem as honoured By WHO
The cumulative results reflect both progress in preventive chemotherapy and expanding integration of NTDs into primary health services. WHO also reported significant improvements in skin-related NTD (skin-NTD) strategies, the inclusion of NTDs in national health plans, and expanded use of guidelines for disability management. However, the report acknowledges stagnation in some areas, such as mortality reduction for vector-borne diseases, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, and the collection of gender-disaggregated data critical for equitable planning.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Nearing Eradication
The push for eradication continues to make headway.
Dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) reported only 15 human cases in 2024, confined to Chad and South Sudan. Although animal infections persist in a few other countries, eradication is within reach.
Yaws, another eradication target, remains endemic in 16 countries, but the process to establish a joint WHO commission for dracunculiasis and yaws certification has been initiated.
Meanwhile, onchocerciasis (river blindness) recorded its highest-ever annual treatment coverage
Neglected Tropical Diseases Targeted for Elimination as a ‘Public Health Problem’
By the end of 2024:
Eight Latin American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay had interrupted vector transmission of Chagas disease.
Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia reported a 96.6% reduction in rhodesiense human African trypanosomiasis cases compared with 2000.
Visceral leishmaniasis showed a major decline since 2014, primarily due to sustained efforts in South-East Asia.
Lymphatic filariasis coverage rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, aided by a drop of 137 million in the population requiring treatment between 2022 and 2023.
Improved reporting also revealed an increase in rabies deaths (2022–2023), largely due to better surveillance, though underreporting remains a problem.
Persistent and Emerging Challenges
Despite success stories, several diseases remain stubbornly entrenched.
Buruli ulcer and echinococcosis still suffer from diagnostic delays.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis cases rose, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, and sporotrichosis remain the most neglected of all NTDs.
The inclusion of noma as a recognized NTD in December 2023 marked a turning point, spurring new data collection and integration into WHO’s roadmap. Scabies and other ectoparasitoses are now being incorporated into national care packages in some countries. Meanwhile, snakebite envenoming is now a notifiable disease in several countries, with local antivenom production initiatives underway.
I. Funding, Sustainability, and Innovation
Funding remains one of the report’s greatest concerns. Official Development Assistance (ODA) for NTDs declined by 41% between 2018 and 2023, largely due to competing global crises such as COVID-19 and humanitarian conflicts. To address this, 14 African countries have adopted national sustainability plans with WHO support, focusing on domestic resource mobilization and multisectoral collaboration.
II. Climate Change and Health
Climate change has emerged as a central threat. The WHO Task Team on Climate Change, Malaria, and NTDs released a scoping review showing how rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns are expanding mosquito and fly habitats into new regions. The report introduces a Global Preparedness and Response Plan for Dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses, positioning it as a model for managing climate-sensitive diseases through cross-sectoral action.
“Climate change is redefining the geography of infection,” the report notes. “Without adaptation and proactive planning, disease control gains could be erased in a single decade.”
III. Human Rights and Gender Equity
In 2024, WHO convened its first technical consultation on Gender, Equity, and Human Rights (GER) in NTDs. This initiative pushed for a rights-based approach at the World Health Assembly and UN Human Rights Council, with advocacy focused on protecting Indigenous Peoples and those facing stigma, especially individuals affected by leprosy.
The Road Ahead for NTDs: 2025-30
WHO warns that while the past 20 years have delivered remarkable progress, the next five years will be decisive. Ongoing geopolitical conflicts, humanitarian crises, and migration pressures are already straining national NTD programmes. Weak surveillance and data systems remain major bottlenecks.
The 2025-30 strategy emphasizes:
Integration of NTD services within primary healthcare,
Sustained country ownership,
Data modernization through the Routine Health Information System (RHIS) toolkit, and
Investment in local innovation and training, including over 100 WHO e-learning courses on NTDs now available in 15 languages.
“The risk of losing hard-won gains is real,” WHO cautions. “Without sustained funding, country leadership, and climate resilience, global elimination goals could slip out of reach.”
The 2025 Global NTD Report captures both achievement and alarm: 54 countries have successfully eliminated at least one NTD, yet 1.5 billion people still need interventions. The dual challenge of declining international aid and climate-driven resurgence underscores the need for renewed global commitment. If progress continues at its current pace, the world could edge closer to the 2030 roadmap targets but only through sustained partnerships, technological innovation, and equitable public health action
