Ariel Pablos-Mendez signing the London Declaration on NTDs. Photo credit: USAID

I’m frequently asked if “neglected tropical diseases” should still be considered “neglected” since they have received increased attention and funding over the past several years. My answer to this question is always the same. It isn’t the diseases that are neglected, but rather the populations they affect.

NTDs are diseases many people have never heard of, with hard-to-pronounce names such as schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. Yet taken as a whole, these diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide. They disproportionately impact poor and rural populations who lack access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and health care. They don’t cause high mortality, but they can devastate families and communities by hindering child growth development, reducing school performance and attendance, and limiting economic productivity in adults that become blind or too sick to work, thereby keeping families in a continuous cycle of poverty.

On Monday, I had the privilege of being part of a momentous turning point that raised the profile of these most neglected populations. Thirteen pharmaceutical companies, the U.S., U.K. and U.A.E governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, various non-governmental organizations, philanthropists, academic institutions, and many other global health organizations came together in London to announce a new, coordinated push to accelerate progress toward eliminating or controlling 10 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the end of the decade.

At this landmark event held at the Royal College of Physicians, partners committed to sustaining or expanding existing drug donation programs; accelerating research and development of new drugs; supporting R&D efforts and strengthening drug distribution and implementation programs in disease endemic countries. Partners also endorsed the “London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases,” in which they pledged new levels of collaborative effort and tracking of progress.

For those of us who have seen the devastating effects of NTDs firsthand, Monday was quite an emotional day. Having NTDs recognized as a global priority at such a high-level event was a triumph for many people who have dedicated their lives and careers to this cause.

I had the opportunity to chat with Bill Gates before the event and he asked us if USAID is focusing our efforts on support to country-level implementation of mass drug administration for NTDs. Indeed, we are.

In fact, in just five years, the U.S. Government’s NTD Program implemented by USAID has supported countries to deliver more than half a billion treatments to over 232 million people in 20 countries.

We face many challenges. Achieving success at scale for NTDs is one. Equity, affordability and sustainability are huge issues as well. But I am very optimistic. We have made incredible progress to relieve the terrible burden of these diseases, and our current programs are building the foundation upon which future efforts can be based.

I look forward to the day we can say that the populations affected by NTDs are no longer neglected.