President Bush Announces New Global Initiative for Combating Neglected Tropical Diseases

February 20, 2008 – President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush greet Ghanaian tribal chiefs and members of tribes, in Accra, Ghana. President Bush met with 30 tribal chiefs during his visit to the International Trade Fair Center. (White House photo by Shealah Craighead.)

February 20, 2008 – While visiting Ghana on a multi-country trip to Africa, President George W. Bush asked the world to reduce dramatically, and eventually control and eliminate, the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as a major threat to health and economic growth in the developing world.  The initiative will make available US$350 million over five years to provide integrated treatment of more than 300 million people in Africa, Asia, and South America, and will target seven diseases: lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis); schistosomiasis (snail fever); trachoma (eye infection); onchocerciasis (river blindness); and three, soil-transmitted helminthes (hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm).

The new Initiative will leverage existing programs, such as the Basic Education Initiative, the President's Malaria Initiative, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to enhance its efficiency, and target communities with integrated treatment annually for three to five years to reduce the prevalence of these diseases.

President Bush challenged other donors, including other G-8 nations, foundations, and public, private, and voluntary organizations to complement the U.S. commitments by providing collectively an additional $650 million to close the funding gap for treatment of NTDs in the countries most affected by these diseases.  He intends to raise this issue again at the G-8 meeting this summer in Japan.

For more information:

• Fact Sheet: Fighting Neglected Tropical Diseases Around The World (White House)
• President Bush's Trip to Africa, February 15-21, 2008 (White House)

Last revised: February 25, 2008