About World NTD Day
Originally announced by the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi at the 2019 Reaching the Last Mile Forum, World NTD Day serves as a catalyst to translate awareness into action, secure increased resources for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and crucially facilitate political leadership and ownership of NTD programmes from affected countries.
Since its launch, hundreds of partners signed up to mark World NTD Day and demand action to #BeatNTDs.
Photo: Two survivors of lymphatic filariasis
Why NTDs?
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) threaten more than 1.7 billion people living in the poorest and most marginalized communities worldwide. These diseases blind, disable and disfigure people, taking away not only their health, but also their chances of staying in school, earning a living, or even being accepted by their family or community.
The good news? With the right investments and actions, incredible progress is within reach.
Since 2012 alone, 34 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, bringing the total to date to 43 countries. Today we are reaching more people with NTD treatment than ever before.
By reaching everyone with the solutions we have, and investing to find the solutions we don’t, we can create a world where the 1 in 5 people worldwide who are currently at risk can lead healthy, impactful lives.
About NTDs
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 preventable and treatable diseases that place a heavy burden on over 1.7 billion people around the world.
NTDs cause immeasurable suffering. They debilitate, disfigure and can be fatal. By most commonly affecting some of the most vulnerable people in the world – who often live in remote communities – NTDs create cycles of poverty and cost developing nations billions of dollars every year.
- Buruli ulcer
- Chagas disease
- Dengue and Chikungunya
- Guinea worm disease
- Echinococcosis
- Foodborne trematodiases
- Human African trypanosomiasis
- Leishmaniasis
- Leprosy
- Lymphatic filariasis
- Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses
- Onchocerciasis
- Rabies
- Scabies and other ectoparasites
- Schistosomiasis
- Soil-transmitted helminthiases
- Snakebite envenoming
- Taeniasis/Cysticercosis
- Trachoma
- Yaws
Source: World Health Organization
Why a World Day?
Across health and development, world awareness days offer an annual opportunity to mobilize greater attention, action and investment on priority issues, particularly in the countries and communities most directly affected.
NTDs were one of the few health and development issues that didn’t have a dedicated advocacy milestone— until the first inaugural NTD Day in 2020.
Following a proposal to the WHO by the UAE, Oman and Brazil and support from several other member states, World NTD Day was officially recognized in May 2021. Official recognition helps drive progress on NTDs by drawing greater attention, increasing political and public will, and mobilizing global action.
World NTD Day brings together civil society advocates, community leaders, global health experts and policymakers working across the diverse NTD landscape and unifies partners behind our common goal: to #BeatNTDs.
- 30 January is the anniversary of the landmark 2012 London Declaration on NTDs, which unified partners across sectors, countries and disease communities to push for greater investment and action on NTDs. World NTD Day not only honored this incredible show of support, but will inspire and rally partners each and every year to eliminate NTDs.
- 2021 is when the WHO launched the #NTDRoadmap2030 with ambitious new goals to lead us into the next decade of collective action. The roadmap sets global targets and milestones to prevent, control, eliminate or eradicate 20 diseases and disease groups as well as cross-cutting targets aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Who is Supporting World NTD Day?
Hundreds of partners from around the globe and across sectors are committing to celebrate the second annual World NTD Day—you can see the full list of partners here.