01700nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001653004300042653001200085653002600097653003900123653002600162653002600188653002600214100002100240245014300261856003300404300001400437490000700451520101000458022001401468       2018                            d10aElimination as a public health problem10aleprosy10aMathematical modeling10aNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)10aQuantitative analysis10aTransmission dynamics10aTransmission modeling1 aHollingsworth DT00aCounting down the 2020 goals for 9 neglected tropical diseases: What have we learned from quantitative analysis and transmission modeling?  uhttps://tinyurl.com/yddwoqat  aS237-S2440 v663 a<p>The control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has received huge investment in recent years, leading to large reductions in morbidity. In 2012, the World Health Organization set ambitious targets for eliminating many of these diseases as a public health problem by 2020, an aspiration that was supported by donations of treatments, intervention materials, and funding committed by a broad partnership of stakeholders in the London Declaration on NTDs. Alongside these efforts, there has been an increasing role for quantitative analysis and modeling to support the achievement of these goals through evaluation of the likely impact of interventions, the factors that could undermine these achievements, and the role of new diagnostics and treatments in reducing transmission. In this special issue, we aim to summarize those insights in an accessible way. This article acts as an introduction to the special issue, outlining key concepts in NTDs and insights from modeling as we approach 2020.</p>
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