World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, observed on 30 January 2026, highlights the persistent global burden of NTDs, which affect over a billion people worldwide, disproportionately impacting children. These diseases not only harm health but also perpetuate poverty, particularly in marginalized communities. Skin NTDs such as leprosy and lymphatic filariasis cause deformities, inflammation, and social stigma, while soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis impair children’s growth and education. Other conditions like trachoma and onchocerciasis are leading infectious causes of blindness globally. Despite their widespread impact, investment in NTD research and innovation remains low, around €700 million annually, limiting the development of new medicines and health tools, and heightening risks such as antimicrobial resistance and climate-driven spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
Global Health EDCTP3 has played a key role in advancing research and innovation against NTDs, demonstrating how long-term partnerships between Europe and Africa can translate science into real-world impact. EDCTP-supported projects have advanced treatments like Moxidectin for river blindness, including child-friendly formulations, while ensuring inclusion on the WHO Essential Medicines List. For leprosy, studies on community-based screening and single-dose rifampicin prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) are improving early detection and prevention. Across Africa, EDCTP initiatives are harnessing digital technologies and artificial intelligence, including MultiplexAI and AFRICAI-RI, to strengthen diagnostics, surveillance, and research infrastructure, while fostering equitable and contextually relevant applications of AI in health.
Europe faces growing challenges from NTDs due to limited access to essential medicines, climate change, and the spread of disease vectors. Efforts to address these gaps include data collection on medicine availability and initiatives like the NTDs Around the World webinar series, which provides a platform to share research, field experiences, and practical solutions for control and elimination. Strengthening awareness, research capacity, and youth engagement is also critical, as NTDs disproportionately affect children and youth. FESTMIH and partner youth initiatives have promoted education and advocacy through platforms such as the World NTD Day Art Contest, which highlighted the human impact of skin NTDs.
Ending NTDs requires sustained investment, innovation, and collaborative action across sectors, geographies, and generations. The Global Health EDCTP3 programme, running from 2021 to 2031 with a €2 billion budget, exemplifies this approach by funding clinical trials, strengthening research infrastructure, training the next generation of African researchers, and promoting ethical, locally driven studies with global relevance. FESTMIH and other partners continue to advocate for stronger preparedness, equitable access to health tools, and the translation of research into tangible outcomes, ensuring that NTD control efforts protect health, dignity, and socioeconomic well-being worldwide.
