USAID's NTD Program

NTDs In the News

2012

• Financial Times Special Report: Combating Neglected Diseases – 10/11/12 [PDF, 2.9MB]

  Learn about the current position and achievements to date of the global programme to combat neglected tropical diseases in this special report from the Financial Times.

• Fighting Disease With Safe Medicine and Shoes – 04/10/12
  Read about the USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases Program in Haiti highlighted in the Huffington Post’s Impact Blog by President and CEO of IMA World Health, Rick Santos.

• WHO Roadmap Inspires Unprecedented Support to Defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases – 02/03/12
  The publication of a roadmap that lays out the vision for ending the misery caused by neglected tropical diseases has inspired public and private partners to unite in the fight against some of the most devastating diseases.

2011

• The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Launches End7 – 12/14/11
  The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' (NTDs) "End The Neglect" blog introduces the Network's "END7" Campaign, which aims to end seven of the most common NTDs by 2020 through public donations to help fund drug delivery in developing countries.

• Merck Serono Helps Eliminate Schistosomiasis in Africa – 12/13/11
  Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced its intention to further boost its efforts in the fight against the tropical disease schistosomiasis and to continue until the disease has been officially eliminated in Africa. The company plans to double its annual donation of tablets containing the active ingredient praziquantel from 25 million to 50 million in the medium term.

• GlaxoSmithKline Gives Update on Agreement with World Health Organization to Support Deworming of School Age Children in Endemic Countries – 09/12/11
  GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced progress on its commitment to expand the donation of albendazole to the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat school age children at risk of intestinal worms, known as soil-transmitted helminths (STH). An agreement signed today formalises the pledge made by GSK in October 2010 to provide an additional 400 million tablets of albendazole per year to WHO to enable de-worming of school age children in Africa. Today’s agreement also provides for albendazole donations to be made to STH endemic countries around the world beyond Africa to ensure the greatest possible benefit is derived from this donation.

• Journal Article Reports on a Successful USAID-supported Mass Drug Administration Program for Lymphatic Filariasis in Sierra Leone – 1/18/11
  The article reviews the program’s successful social mobilization and implementation strategy and the independent monitoring strategy used to estimate final coverage in a problematic setting.

2010

• USAID’s NTD Control Program Reports More Than 162 Million People Treated in Year 4 – 11/15/10
  In just four years, the Program exceeded its five-year targets, demonstrating that integrated NTD programs can be scaled-up nationally to help countries achieve control and or elimination of the targeted NTDs.
  
  
• GSK Expands Donation of Deworming Medication in Africa – 10/14/10
  GSK has announced a new five-year commitment to expand the donation of albendazole to treat children at risk of intestinal worms in Africa.
  
  
• Congressional Briefing - NTD Control: “It’s Not a Problem of Capacity, But One of Funding” – 06/11/10
  On Thursday the Global Network hosted a congressional briefing, “Can NTDs be Eliminated?” in conjunction with the Congressional Malaria and Neglected Tropical Disease Caucus. The briefing focused on the successes of NTD interventions and programs to date, and the future of NTD control and elimination efforts.

2009

• NIH Unveils $24M Program To Help Develop Drugs For Rare, Neglected Diseases – 5/21/09
  The NIH on Wednesday announced the launch of a five-year program aimed at developing drugs for rare and neglected diseases that are often too financially risky for pharmaceutical companies to tackle.
  
  
• Ban Stresses Role of Philanthropy in Preventing Deaths from Child Birth, Tropical Diseases – 2/23/09
  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the challenge faced by neglected tropical diseases that “afflict about one billion of the world’s poorest people. Yet these diseases are largely treatable.” Controlling these diseases offers a strategy for tackling many of the conditions that promote poverty, he said.
  
  
• Tropical Diseases Killing the World's Poor – 1/31/09
  This Washington Times article covers the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and discusses the USAID-funded Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program.
  
  
• Bill and Melinda Gates Announce New Support for NTDs – 1/30/09
  Bill and Melinda Gates announced a $34 million grant to help control and greatly reduce the burden of the most prevalent neglected diseases that affect the world’s poorest populations.
  
  
• Global Annual Program Statement Released – 1/16/09
  The NTD Control Program is pleased to announce the posting of a Global Annual Program Statement (APS) soliciting applications from eligible organizations for conducting NTD Control Programs in direct partnership with governments in the eligible countries identified in the APS.

2008

• DFID Announces £50 Million Commitment to Fight NTDs – 9/22/08
  As part of an international effort to eradicate Guinea worm, funding will help people in the five remaining countries in Africa that still have Guinea worm: South Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, and Mali.