Neglected Diseases Overview

In recent decades, there has been significant progress toward the elimination and even eradication of “neglected diseases.”

Tropical and other infectious diseases affecting the poor in developing countries have traditionally received little attention, but global governments and stakeholders have recently focused attention on and made gains in combating selected diseases. For example, Guinea worm disease has been nearly eradicated, with just 1,060 cases in 2011 in four countries.

However, many neglected diseases still chronically burden the world’s poor.

The set of neglected and other infectious diseases includes 12 parasitic, viral, and bacterial infections. Each disease frequently affects the same populations, hindering their ability to work, causing chronic disability, and impairing childhood development. As a result, these diseases cause billions of dollars in lost wages, keeping those at risk of infection trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Proven solutions exist to eliminate or eradicate some of these diseases, but additional solutions are needed.

Some neglected diseases are controllable and possibly eradicable with the continued use of safe and effective drugs or other tools. Other diseases have solutions that simply need to be delivered to those in need. However, for many of these diseases, effective tools such as vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, and control measures are lacking or extremely inadequate.

Our goals are to prevent more people from getting these diseases, treat those who have been infected, and eliminate or eradicate these diseases when feasible.

Next: Our Approach

We invest our efforts where we determine that effective and affordable methods will treat and eliminate the effects of the disease, and, in some cases, eradicate the disease itself. Often, the best approach is a combination of strategies integrating prevention and treatment. Because few of these diseases are addressed or well funded, we’ve formed a network of public, private, and nonprofit organizations. We’re supporting the following strategies:

Eliminate human African trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis.

Current treatments against these diseases are toxic, difficult to deliver, lengthy to administer, and costly. Both diseases are becoming increasingly resistant to the treatments available. We’re supporting the development of the critical tools needed to eliminate human African trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis, including improved drugs, diagnostics, vector control strategies, and vaccines.

Reduce the burden of Japanese encephalitis virus and dengue virus.

Fortunately, there is a new, low-cost vaccine, which is available to prevent Japanese encephalitis. We’re supporting efforts to ensure that it is delivered globally. To reduce the burden of dengue, we’re supporting the development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine and developing ways to detect or predict dengue outbreaks.

Reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases.

Guinea worm, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, cysticercosis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, and soil-transmitted helminths such as hookworm are among the most common chronic infections in the world’s poorest communities. We’re working to support a pipeline of new drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, vector-control tools, and program approaches according to the particulars of each disease.

Support integrated disease initiatives for better efficiency.

Traditionally, global partnerships or alliances and country health programs have been devoted to the control or elimination of a single neglected diseases. We feel the integration of these efforts is essential, as populations in endemic countries are often infected with multiple neglected diseases, and existing and new tools can decrease several neglected diseases at once. We’re helping to harmonize the activities of existing partnerships and programs to gain greater efficiencies.

Deliver human papillomavirus vaccine and screening.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer, which overwhelmingly affects women of developing countries, where screening is not performed. There are currently two vaccines available against the cancer-causing strains of HPV. However, developing country governments still lack the evidence and guidance on how to integrate these vaccines into existing health programs. Better screening is also needed for the many women already infected with HPV. We’re supporting efforts to identify and address barriers to widespread vaccine delivery and the development of integrated systems that screen women for persistent HPV infection.