Lomé – African health experts fill renewed commitment to accelerate efforts to discontinue Now not famed Tropical Diseases (NTDs) that continue to affect over a thousand million of us globally, 40% of whom dwell within the African situation.
Meeting in Togo from 15 to 17 April 2025 for the NTD Programme Managers meeting, the experts additionally living in movement discussions and collaborations aimed toward utilizing courageous and further strategic approaches to discontinue NTDs in Africa.
The African situation is house to twenty of the 21 known NTDs, together with river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, and quite loads of skin diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalized communities. These diseases can cause severe disabilities, social stigma, and even demise. Despite progress in fresh times, all 47 international locations within the WHO African Set apart remain endemic for at the least one NTD, and 37 are combating five or extra similtaneously.
“We have to step up our efforts whereas making sure that no-one is left within the encourage of,” acknowledged Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Performing WHO Regional Director for Africa. “As we attain the mid-level of the 2021–2030 NTD Roadmap, it’s no longer factual a 2d of reflection—it’s a call to movement.”
The three-day hybrid meeting brought together over forty five nationwide programme managers and a ramification of stakeholders, together with global health companions and civil society organizations. The health leaders committed to fortify country management and lengthen domestic financing for NTD programmes to be obvious prolonged-term sustainability, accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostic tools, digital technologies, and medicines methods to give a boost to illness prevention, detection and affected person care, give a boost to nationwide and crew-primarily primarily based surveillance methods to observe illness outbreaks and monitor progress extra effectively and develop concrete nationwide movement plans to address persistent gaps in come by genuine of entry to to prevention and medicines providers, in particular in underserved populations.
The meeting, organized with enhance from the Kuwait Fund and various companions, was a possibility for members to replicate on key milestones, title challenges, and form effective solutions for NTD elimination. Representing the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Togo, Dr Wotobe Kokou commended the country’s management in casting off four NTDs—Guinea Worm, Lymphatic Filariasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis, and Trachoma—making Togo the predominant within the location to assemble this milestone.
“These successes are the end result of robust political commitment, discontinuance collaboration with our companions, and exemplary crew engagement. They existing that with concerted efforts and innovative solutions, casting off pushed apart tropical diseases is doable,” he acknowledged.
Dr Amadou Bailo Diallo, WHO Representative in Togo, additionally lauded Togo’s achievements and reaffirmed the significance of multisectoral and crew-centered approaches in battling NTDs.
“With funding cuts and local weather trade posing rising threats to global health programmes, together with NTD elimination efforts, addressing NTDs requires no longer factual innovative solutions, but centered enhance that specializes within the most susceptible communities.” Dr Dorothy Achu, Team Lead for Tropical Vector-Borne Diseases at WHO Regional Affirm of enterprise for Africa. “We have to be obvious diseases disproportionately affecting the poorest and most marginalized populations receive wished consideration and resources, in particular of us that may presumably well additionally be eliminated. With sustained efforts, we are able to discontinue the burden of NTDs on Africa’s communities”.
WHO is working intently with Member States and companions to adapt public health solutions, fortify surveillance, and be obvious timely responses to evolving NTDs challenges. By convening NTD stakeholders, disseminating pointers, strengthening governance, and offering technical enhance in strategic and operational planning, protection pattern, capability building, and strengthening surveillance, monitoring, and evaluate methods, the Programme Managers’ meeting is a WHO initiative aimed toward supporting country management and governance, with ongoing enhance from the Regional Programme Advisory Team
The 2025 NTD Programme Managers’ Meeting reinforces the commitment of the WHO AFRO and its companions to eliminate NTDs and affords a boost to the health and properly-being of communities across the African Set apart. The meeting enormously contributes to aligning nationwide and regional efforts with the global roadmap for NTD elimination and achieving Sustainable Pattern Dreams (SDGs). With renewed momentum, African international locations are signalling a united front to impart an discontinue to these preventable and treatable diseases.
