Details on Neglected Tropical Diseases

The term “neglected tropical diseases” (often abbreviated as “NTDs”) refers to a heterogeneous collection of contagious illnesses that are prevalent in tropical and subtropical environments. More than one billion people are impacted by these diseases, and each year they cost the economies of the poor countries that are afflicted with billions of dollars. The populations that are most severely impacted are those that are living below the poverty line, do not have access to proper sanitation, and are in close proximity to infectious vectors, domestic animals, and livestock.

The World Health Organisation, also known as the WHO, is a specialised agency of the United Nations that investigates various issues pertaining to public health. 

Neglected Tropical Diseases transmission: 

Infected insects are the vectors for the transmission of several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Onchocerciasis is transmitted by infected black flies and can lead to blindness. Leishmaniasis is transmitted by infected sand flies and can lead to sores that cause permanent scarring. Dengue fever, which can lead to circulatory failure, and lymphatic filariasis, which can lead to extreme swelling of the genitalia or limbs, are both transmitted by mosquitoes. For example, Chagas disease is transmitted by the triatomine bug,

Other non-treatable diseases can be contracted by ingesting water or food that is contaminated with parasites. People can become infected with untreatable diseases (NTDs) such as schistosomiasis, fascioliasis, and Guinea worm disease when they consume contaminated water or food. 

Some examples of Neglected Tropical Diseases: 

• Buruli Ulcers
• Chagas Disease
• Dengue & Chikungunya
• Guinea Worm Disease (Dracunculiasis)
• Scabies and other Ecto-parasites
• Sleeping Sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis)
• Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy)
• Leishmaniasis
• Lymphatic Filariasis
• Rabies
• Schistosomiasis
• Snakebite Envenoming
• Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis
• Taeniasis or Cysticercosis
• Endemic Treponematoses (Yaws)
• Trachoma
• Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses
• Foodborne Trematodiases
• River Blindness (Onchocerciasis) 

India and Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD): 

According to a report that was published by the World Health Organisation in 2017, India was successful in eradicating leprosy in 82 percent of the country’s cities and districts.

• Infectious trachoma and the chronic condition known as yaws have both been eliminated from India, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which also reported that the country has done away with yaws.
• Lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis, rabies, leptospirosis, and dengue fever are the untreatable diseases that affect the most people in India. Soil-transmitted helminth infections are also quite common (STH).
• As a result of the fact that those living in poverty are more likely to fall victim to NTDs, a significant number of people in India are diagnosed with one of these conditions each year.
• According to data from the WHO, India leads the globe in the number of cases for a number of the most significant NTDs.
• On the other hand, there is some encouraging news on this matter. In recent years, India has made significant strides toward eradicating a number of these diseases.
• People who are susceptible to filaria have also reached the point where they have achieved mass treatment coverage, which comes at the same time as the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in the country. 

Government’s initiatives towards Neglected Tropical Diseases: 

The Government of India (GOI) has launched a number of programmes with the goal of eliminating and controlling neglected tropical diseases in India. The following are examples of some of them: 

National Rabies Control Programme: 

After first being referred to as the Integrated National Rabies Control Programme and being launched as part of the ‘One Health Approach’, the programme has since been rebranded as the National Rabies Control Programme. In addition to vaccinating strays, it offers free vaccinations at all of the nation’s government hospitals. 

National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP): 

It is a comprehensive programme for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases, including Malaria, Filaria, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Dengue, and Chikungunya. These diseases can be transmitted by mosquitoes and other biting insects. 

National Leprosy Eradication Programme: 

The programme was initiated with the intention of eradicating leprosy as a concern affecting the general public’s health. In 2005, it was formally declared eradicated as a threat to the health of the general population in India. At this point, the rate of newly diagnosed cases dropped to less than one per 10,000 people. Despite this, India is home to the greatest number of individuals living with leprosy of any country in the world. 

The National Health Policy: 

In 2017, it was established with the goal of stimulating innovation to fulfil the health needs and ensuring that new treatments are accessible for people who need them the most; however, it does not particularly target neglected diseases. 

The National Policy on Treatment of Rare Diseases: 

Concentrates the majority of its efforts on the discovery and investigation of medicines for uncommon diseases as well as infectious tropical diseases. 

Significance of global recognition: 

• According to the WHO, more than one billion people around the world are affected by NTDs. They can be avoided and treated at the same time.
• Despite this, diseases and their complex interrelationships with poverty and ecological systems continue to have a negative impact on people’s health as well as the social and economic environments in which they live.
• The adoption of the London Declaration on Untreatable Diseases on January 30, 2012, was a significant step forward in the fight to raise awareness of the burden that these diseases have on a worldwide scale.
• In the year 2020, an unofficial celebration was held in honour of the inaugural World NTD Day. This year saw the publication of the updated NTD road map. 

Conclusion: 

NTDs are a group of diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest people. These diseases hinder both physical and mental development, contribute to illness and death in mothers and children, make it difficult to farm or earn a living, and reduce workplace productivity. As a consequence of this, those who are impoverished are kept in a cycle that includes both poverty and disease.