The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 63 countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD) as of June 2026, up from 42 countries recorded at the end of 2020.
The WHO disclosed this in its Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases 2026, released on Wednesday, in a statement which assessed progress towards achieving the targets of its 2021–2030 roadmap.
The report said the number of people requiring interventions against NTDs dropped to 1.41 billion in 2024, representing a 36 per cent decline since 2010 and 19 per cent since 2020.
It also reported that sleeping sickness cases had declined by 98 per cent since 1999, while Guinea worm disease recorded only 10 human cases globally in 2025.
It said that the report highlighted scientific advances, including WHO-prequalified child-friendly arpraziquantel for schistosomiasis, generic miltefosine for leishmaniasis and a dengue vaccine.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, described the elimination of neglected tropical diseases as one of global health’s outstanding achievements, but warned that the gains remained vulnerable.
Ghebreyesus urged countries and development partners to strengthen domestic financing, sustain external support and integrate NTD services into primary healthcare to prevent a reversal of progress.
He said the objective was not merely to eliminate diseases but to protect communities from disability, disfigurement, death and generational poverty.
WHO boss added that two chikungunya vaccines and new medicines for onchocerciasis and human African trypanosomiasis had also received regulatory approval, providing additional tools for disease prevention and treatment.
However, he warned that progress remained uneven, with neglected tropical diseases continuing to disproportionately affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations.
He said that the report said dengue cases reached a record 15.1 million in 2024, while deaths from vector-borne neglected tropical diseases increased and efforts to eradicate yaws remained off track.
According to him, only three disease-specific indicators had achieved their 2025 milestones, while inadequate and untimely data, particularly gender-disaggregated information, continued to hinder accurate assessment.
He further disclosed that international development assistance for NTDs remained concentrated among a few donors, which contributed nearly 80 per cent of total funding between 2018 and 2024.
According to him, the sudden reductions in external support had disrupted mass treatment, case management, surveillance and vector control, while threatening donated medicines with expiration.
Ghebreyesus added that resources available for neglected tropical diseases remained 30 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels, with dedicated funding for some programmes almost disappearing.
“Despite the funding challenges, the report acknowledged that more affected countries were incorporating NTD interventions into national health strategies, essential service packages and domestic budgets,” he said.
He said that the report highlighted growing efforts to deliver interventions for multiple diseases through shared services, noting that adoption of WHO’s recommended skin NTD strategy had already exceeded the 2030 target.
“The report called on affected countries to increase domestic financing, integrate NTD interventions into universal health coverage and adapt programmes to conflict situations and climate change.
“It also urged development partners to expand support across different NTD interventions and recipient countries to diversify funding sources to reduce dependence on limited donors,” he said.
WHO boss said accelerated and sustained action was necessary to protect existing achievements, address persistent gaps and meet the 2030 targets, with only five years remaining.
“Neglected tropical diseases cause serious health, social and economic consequences, particularly among impoverished communities, and include diseases targeted for control, elimination and eradication under WHO’s 2021–2030 roadmap.
“The roadmap aims to reduce by 90 per cent the number of people requiring NTD interventions, cut related disability and premature deaths by 75 per cent, enable 100 countries to eliminate at least one NTD, and eradicate Guinea worm disease and yaws by 2030,” he said.
