01489nas a2200109   4500000000100000008004100001100003600042245007900078856008500157300000900242520112800251       2023                            d1 aWHO Regional Office for Africa 00aEnding the neglect: Lessons from a decade of success in responding to NTDs  uhttps://www.afro.who.int/sites/default/files/2023-08/Ending_neglect_NTD_2022.pdf  a1-253 a<p>Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of diseases with distinct characteristics found mainly among the poorest populations of the world. These diseases share a common stranglehold on those populations left furthest behind by development: they perpetuate poverty</p>

<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region has made significant progress in reducing the heavy health burden caused by NTDs over the past decade – reducing levels of morbidity and mortality, while substantially improving the quality of life for millions of people living with these conditions. As of 2023, <strong>19 Member States have eliminated at least one NTD in the region</strong>, up from only six countries in 2010. There are currently 88 million less people requiring&nbsp;interventions against NTDs in the region as compared to 2013. To date, <strong>four countries have been officially validated for elimination of at least one of the five priority preventive chemotherapy NTDs</strong>: with Malawi and Togo eliminating lymphatic filariasis; and the Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, and Togo eliminating trachoma.</p>