Neglected tropical diseases

Guinea-worm disease: International Certification Team evaluates Kenya’s elimination claim

6 December 2017 | Geneva | Nairobi –– An International Certification Team (ICT) is currently in Kenya to assess the elimination of dracunculiasis (commonly known as guinea-worm disease) in the country. The team, led by Dr Joel Breman – a veteran epidemiologist and global health expert – comprises local and international experts.

The evaluation mission will last 2 weeks during which time sub-teams will examine documented details of past cases and rumours in various regions of the country.

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©WHO

Community-driven programme is key to defeating visceral leishmaniasis in Bangladesh

4 December 2017 | Dhaka | Geneva –– Bangladesh is close to eliminating visceral leishmaniasis as a public health problem by 2020, with only 159 new cases in 2016, compared with more than 9 600 in 2006.

The spectacular achievement is the result of a combination of factors: strong community engagement, a motivated workforce, availability of medicine, easy-to-use diagnostics and an integrated vector control programme.

A recent monitoring mission evaluated the national programme’s overall impact.

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WHO welcomes new funding to accelerate demise of neglected tropical diseases

16 November 2017 | Geneva –– The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the launch of a US$100 million dollar fund to accelerate the elimination of two devastating infectious neglected tropical diseases diseases – onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis).

The announcement was made during the Reaching the Last Mile: mobilizing together to eliminate infectious disease held in Abu Dhabi on 15 November, which focused on the eradication of two diseases – polio and Guinea worm disease.

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©Emirates News Agency

River blindness: shifting from prevention to surveillance and elimination

12 November 2017 | Geneva –– After years of painstaking control and prevention activities, the world is finally edging to eliminate river blindness (onchocerciasis) - a disabling parasitic infection that can result in blindness, impaired vision and skin disease.

Latest data show that globally almost 133 million people received treatment in 2016, compared with 46 million in 2005.
Despite remaining challenges, some obstacles to achieving elimination include 100% geographic coverage, instability and lack of political will.

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Woman washing clothes by a river while black flies whizz around her, Salambongo village, Democratic Republic of Congo
© N.Brandvold/DNDi

WHO and Mundo Sano Foundation to facilitate access to paediatric treatment of Chagas disease

8 November 2017 | Geneva –– The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Mundo Sano Foundation are working together to make an essential antiparasitic medicine for the treatment of Chagas disease widely accessible to children.

Treatment with benznidazole in the early stages of infection can cure Chagas disease.

Unfortunately, few people are currently able to access diagnosis and treatment services.

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WHO recommends triple drug therapy to accelerate global elimination of lymphatic filariasis

3 November 2017 | Geneva –– An alternative three drug treatment can accelerate the elimination of lymphatic filariasis - a disabling and disfiguring neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people, worldwide.

WHO is recommending a combination of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) and albendazole to be used annually in special settings where its use is expected to have the greatest impact.
This improved regimen comes amid significant progress towards the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.

©Marcus Perkins (reworked photo)