The 30th of January is World NTD Day. The days leading up to it and those immediately after are leveraged to celebrate progress, champion innovation, raise awareness and renew the global commitment to ending the suffering caused by NTDs. Under the 2026 theme "Unite. Act. Eliminate.", this year’s observance highlights both the remarkable achievements in NTD control and the persistent challenges that demand urgent action.
What are Neglected Tropical Diseases
What is a Neglected Tropical Disease? The term does not use a biological or ecological definition (despite the name, thanks to climate change “tropical” with regards to diseases has become a bit of a moot point); it is more of a human burden and political term. WHO recognizes over 20 conditions as Neglected Tropical Diseases. They are a diverse group of pathogens that include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasitic worms, fungi and toxins, affecting over 1 billion people worldwide. NTDs cause significant health, economic and social damage, and are linked to chronic morbidity, disfigurement, disability, stigmatization, social exclusion and discrimination.
Yet they historically feature low on global health agendas. If you ask someone who works on NTDs they will tell you that this term is less about the disease and more about the people – that we are talking about diseases and conditions that have the greatest impact on the most vulnerable and under-served populations, living below the poverty line, in rural communities dependent on subsistence farming or in urban slums; environments characterized by inadequate infrastructure and unreliable access to safe water, sanitation and health services. Neglected people, not neglected diseases.
In 2024, around 1.4 billion people required interventions (whether prevention or cure) against NTDs. While this is still a huge number, it actually represents a 36% decrease from 2010. A glimmer of hope that despite the little attention they are given, progress is being made.
Here is some more progress:
- 58 countries have now eliminated at least one NTD, thanks to the sustained investment and collaboration of governments, industry, philanthropic, research and civil society-based organisations. One of WHO’s targets for NTDs is to reach 100 countries eliminating at least 1 NTD by 2030.
- Guinea Worm (Dracunculiasis): Guinea worm is now on the brink of eradication, with only 13 human cases reported in 2025—down from 3.5 million in the 1980s. Considering there is no treatment this is a remarkable achievement, made possible thanks to decades of community-led surveillance, health education, and targeted interventions.
- Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT): Also known as sleeping sickness, HAT has seen a 95% reduction in cases since 2000, with fewer than 1,000 cases reported annually in recent years. Innovations in diagnostics, vector control, and cross-border collaboration have been key to this success.
The Critical Role of Multidisciplinary Research and One Health
Despite this significant progress, parasitic and vector-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths, leishmaniasis, dengue and Chagas disease continue to inflict a heavy global health burden. The impact of climate change and human displacement means these environmentally sensitive NTDs are shifting distributions, causing outbreaks in new areas with potentially greater health effects on naïve populations, or compacting existing fragilities in areas undergoing crises caused by conflict, drought, flooding etc.
To address these challenges, we need multidisciplinary research and innovation, leveraging a One Health approach. NTDs are often characterized by complex epidemiologies strongly linked to environmental conditions, and the One Health concept recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. It is applied to the design and implementation of policies and interventions that bring together multiple sectors with the aim of achieving greater public, veterinary and environmental health impacts than if these sectors worked in silos.
To leverage a One Health approach to combat NTDs, we rely on multidisciplinary research. Research topics include:
- Eco-epidemiological studies to map the distribution of parasites and vectors in response to climate change, urbanization, and land-use patterns. Research that looks at not only rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, but also habitat fragmentation, changes in land-use and ecosystem degradation, these all influence the distribution and behaviour of vectors such as mosquitoes, snails, and sandflies. Predictive modelling and geospatial analysis are critical tools for anticipating and mitigating these shifts.
- Genomic and proteomic research to elucidate mechanisms of drug and insecticide resistance, identify new therapeutic targets, develop innovative surveillance tools and new technologies to break transmission. For example, environmental DNA (eDNA), a non-invasive tool enables the detection of parasitic DNA in soil, water, and other environmental samples, offering a scalable and sensitive method for monitoring transmission hotspots. Research is ongoing to optimize eDNA assays for field deployment in resource-limited settings.
- Mental Health: On 4 February 2026, WHO issued a call to action for mental health to be central to NTD care, recognizing that the psychological toll of NTDs—such as stigma, depression, and social isolation—is as debilitating as the physical symptoms. The WHO emphasizes that mental health support must be integrated into NTD programs, ensuring holistic care for affected individuals and communities.
I would like to add a final note on the importance of youth-led advocacy and early career researchers. These are rapidly becoming one of the most dynamic forces in the global movement to end NTDs, with young scientists, organisers, and community leaders driving fresh energy, innovation, and accountability. Organisations such as GANE‑NTDs, a Kenyan youth‑led group advancing NTD elimination through community education, policy advocacy, WASH promotion, and One Health action, and the One Health Society, Tanzania, which mobilises students and early‑career professionals to connect human, animal, and environmental health. In fact, OHS flagship Mwele Malecela Days of Action, honouring the legacy of Dr Mwele Ntuli Malecela, empowers youth, affected communities, and frontline health workers to lead prevention, early detection, and care. As someone working on schistosomiasis, I’m especially glad that the 2026 M‑DOA focus will spotlight Female Genital Schistosomiasis, bringing long‑overdue attention to a neglected dimension of women’s health.
This World NTD Day, we also celebrate the launch of The Global NTDs Youth Platform, a worldwide network that connects youth‑led organisations advancing NTD elimination through education, advocacy, and community action, and its importance lies in how it mobilises young leaders to expand research, strengthen awareness, and drive locally grounded solutions that accelerate progress against NTDs.
World NTD Day 2026 serves as a reminder of the urgent need for sustained investment in multidisciplinary research. As the global community approaches the final five years of the NTD Roadmap 2030, we need to:
- Strengthen collaborative multidisciplinary research to address knowledge gaps and accelerate the development of new tools.
- Integrate One Health principles into NTD & public health programs, ensuring that interventions are ecologically sound, socially equitable, and sustainable.
- Empower early-career researchers and scientists from affected countries to lead innovation and drive progress.
By uniting across disciplines—from molecular biology and epidemiology, ecology to psychosocial research, engineering to clinical medicine—we can turn the tide against NTDs and achieve the goal of elimination by 2030.