HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are often thought of as “the big three” of the great global public health problems affecting the world’s poorest people. However, emerging evidence over the last five years has revealed that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent an important fourth leg to the global health table.
Unlike vaccines for the big three, the vaccines for NTDs are not being developed by major vaccine manufacturers (with the exception of the dengue vaccine). Because NTDs primarily affect people in poverty, vaccines for these diseases have essentially no market in North America, Europe, or Japan. So instead these vaccines are being developed and tested by nonprofit product development partnerships (PDPs). The major PDPs for NTD vaccines include IDRI (Infectious Diseases Research Institute), PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), IVI (International Vaccine Institute), and Sabin Vaccine Development.
These are leading NTDs that cause the greatest health damage:
Today the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever comprehensive report on NTDs. The report cites successes in NTD control efforts, and recognizes the challenges that lie ahead and the opportunities afforded by enhanced control of these diseases in alleviating the suffering of people in disease-endemic countries. The launch of this report is an important milestone, as it will improve and scale up current and future efforts to successful elimination of these diseases worldwide.
WHO also released this compelling public service announcement, which is currently airing on major broadcast channels throughout Europe.
Great strides have been taken to overcome the challenges of controlling and eliminating NTDs worldwide, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Many of the 1.4 billion people who live on less than $1.25 per day are infected with one or more NTDs. More than 400 million school-age children throughout the developing world are infected with hookworm and other NTDs. They reduce a child’s ability to learn and pay attention in school or to have the energy for physical activity. Among adults, NTDs cause adverse pregnancy outcomes and severely affect a person’s ability to work and adequately earn a living. But in addition to their devastating health impact, these diseases actually trap people in poverty.
In addition to the work on NTD vaccines, WHO and other partners conduct mass drug administrations (MDAs) in endemic countries in order to reduce the burden of NTDs. The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an advocacy and resource mobilization initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, works to raise public awareness and private funds.
You can learn more about the work of the Sabin Vaccine Institute by visiting www.sabin.org. To learn about and engage with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, visit www.globalnetwork.org.