Dr Abdourahmane DIALLO, WHO Country Representative in Kenya during the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day in Mombasa, Kenya| Photo|Moses Baya
The World Health Organization (WHO) has rallied citizens, including leaders and communities, to unite and address inequalities that drive neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Speaking during the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day (‘World NTD Day’) at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa, WHO Country Representative in Kenya Dr Abdourahmane DIALLO, said Neglected Tropical diseases (NTDs) are widespread in the world’s poorest regions, where water safety, sanitation, and access to health care are less than optimal.
He said NTDs affect over 1 billion people globally and are caused by a variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins. Hence the need for stakeholders to come together and address the issue.
“We need to make bold, sustainable investments to free the estimated 1.62 billion people in the world’s most vulnerable communities from a vicious cycle of disease and poverty”, he said.
Dr Diallo said the neglected diseases are almost absent from the global health agenda, they receive little funding, and are associated with stigma and social exclusion.
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) kicked off the commemoration of World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day under the theme: “Unite. Act. Eliminate.
The purpose of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is to raise the profile of neglected tropical diseases and the suffering they cause and to garner support towards their control, elimination, and eradication, in line with the programmatic targets set out in the NTD road map 2021−2030 and the commitments of the 2022 Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.
