The Case for Investing in NTDs

The Briefing Document

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Communications Toolkit

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PARTNERS' PLAYBOOK

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Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect more than a billion people worldwide, yet they are preventable, treatable, and increasingly being eliminated. But today, two decades of extraordinary progress are at risk. Cuts to foreign aid, shifting global priorities, and the growing pressures of global conflict, migration, and climate change are disrupting programmes, straining national budgets and threatening to reverse hard-won gains. At this moment, it is vital to re-assert the relevance of NTDs, to show how they connect to today’s most urgent global priorities and why they remain one of the best investments in health.

Eliminating NTDs delivers extraordinary returns: restoring health, strengthening education, boosting productivity, advancing gender equity, and building safer, more resilient societies.

NTDs are a massive but solvable global health challenge. NTDs remain one of the most underfunded areas of global health, costing an estimated US$33 billion every year in lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses alone.

“I can now do my work without problems. I grow maize, cassava, and vegetables for my family. I was even able to pull out tree stumps on my own in the farm plot I rented to expand my activities."

Shabani’s native Ludiga village in Tanzania’s Pwani region is known as Msinune, a Swahili word meaning “don’t be sad”. But for years, sadness and pain defined Shabani’s life. As a subsistence farmer and sole breadwinner of the house, he had no choice but to brave the pain of hydrocele, a common manifestation of lymphatic filariasis (LF) but with treatment he has been able to recover and return to work.

Proven, low cost tools exist to prevent and treat NTDs. These interventions are cost-effective to deliver and scalable, making NTDs one of the smartest and most solvable health investments.

"The day they removed the bandages, it felt like my eyes were new. Just like the day I was born. I can now read even the tiniest print "

Fatuma received treatment for trachoma and with her sight returned, she built a mat making business, which helped put her children through school. As a community health worker, Fatuma has helped eight people in her community to be screened and get treatment for trachoma and be able to return to employment.

Every US$1 invested in preventative chemotherapy NTDs generates approximately US$25 in economic benefits for affected communities, while every US$1 invested in research for NTDs generates an estimated US$405 return.

“I went in to be checked and they saw that I had TT. I didn’t resist, I went in for surgery as soon as I could.”

For over 30 years, Rosemary lived with the pain of trachomatous trichiasis, but surgery finally gave her relief. With her sight restored, she returned to her tailoring business and continues to support her grandson Tito, whose own life was transformed through a successful hydrocele operation. Now back at school and playing football again, Tito’s recovery is proof of what integrated health care can achieve.

Read more about Rosemary here

Ending NTDs builds a safer and more resilient world for everyone. Sustained investment in NTDs has compounding benefits – it strengthens global health security, creates healthier and more equitable communities, drives stronger economies and creates safer, more stable societies. Domestic ownership and financing of NTD programs are increasing, laying the foundation for long-term sustainability. Investing in better tools, systems, approaches and partnerships helps countries move closer towards independence from external aid. Sustained political and financial commitment is urgently needed. Two decades of progress are now at risk from cuts to foreign aid, global conflict, and climate change. To achieve global NTD goals, we must protect existing commitments, secure new commitments, unlock innovative financing and implement new approaches – with endemic countries leading the way.