Global Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases at Risk as Funding Falls 30%, WHO Warns
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 6- Despite 63 countries eliminating at least one neglected tropical disease, shrinking donor support threatens treatment programmes, surveillance and progress towards 2030 targets.
The global fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is making significant progress, but declining funding and persistent inequalities are threatening to reverse some of the gains, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.In its 2026 Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases, released on November 4, WHO says 63 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease by June 2026, compared with 42 countries at the end of 2020.
The number of people requiring interventions for NTDs also declined to 1.41 billion in 2024, representing a 36 per cent reduction from 2010 and a 19 per cent decline since 2020.Yet behind these achievements is a growing financing challenge that threatens the continuity of programmes protecting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
WHO estimates that resources available for NTDs remain 30 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels, with dedicated funding for some programmes having almost disappeared.For communities where access to healthcare is already limited, the consequences extend beyond statistics. I
nterruptions to treatment, surveillance and prevention can allow diseases to persist, spread or re-emerge, placing additional pressure on health systems and households.”Elimination of neglected tropical diseases is one of the standout success stories of global health,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, he cautioned that the progress achieved over the years could easily be lost without increased domestic financing, sustained external support and the integration of NTD services into primary healthcare.
The report highlights how fragile the gains have become, particularly as international development assistance remains concentrated among a small number of donors.Between 2018 and 2024, nearly 80 per cent of international development assistance for NTDs came from a limited group of donors, leaving programmes exposed to sudden funding reductions.
WHO says these disruptions have already affected mass treatment campaigns, disease surveillance, case management and vector control. They have also put donated medicines at risk of expiring before they can be used.The funding challenge comes at a time when the disease burden remains substantial and progress is uneven.
Dengue infections reached a record 15.1 million cases in 2024, while deaths from vector-borne neglected tropical diseases have increased. Efforts to eradicate yaws are also falling behind schedule.Despite advances in disease control, only three disease-specific indicators achieved their 2025 milestones, highlighting the distance still to be covered before the 2030 targets can be realised.
The report also points to gaps in comprehensive and timely health data, particularly information disaggregated by gender, which make it difficult to determine who is being reached by interventions and which populations remain underserved.For people living in impoverished and underserved communities, these gaps can mean that their disease burden remains inadequately reflected in national health priorities.Nevertheless, scientific innovation is opening new opportunities for prevention and treatment.WHO highlights the availability of child-friendly praziquantel for schistosomiasis, generic miltefosine for leishmaniasis and a dengue vaccine.
Two chikungunya vaccines and new medicines for onchocerciasis and human African trypanosomiasis have also received regulatory approval.These developments offer new tools to strengthen disease prevention and treatment, although their impact will depend on whether countries can finance and deliver them consistently.
WHO is therefore urging affected countries to take greater responsibility for sustaining NTD programmes by increasing domestic health financing and incorporating interventions into national health strategies, essential health service packages and universal health coverage.
The organisation also recommends delivering interventions for multiple diseases through shared health services to improve efficiency and reduce costs.Progress in adopting its recommended skin NTD strategy, which addresses several diseases through integrated approaches, has already exceeded the 2030 target.
The report further calls on donors to expand support across different NTD interventions while encouraging recipient countries to diversify their funding sources and reduce dependence on a small number of external partners.It also urges countries to adapt disease-control programmes to emerging challenges, including climate change and conflict, which can disrupt healthcare delivery and increase the vulnerability of affected populations.
With only five years remaining before the 2030 deadline, WHO says accelerated and sustained action is necessary to protect the gains already achieved.The global road map for neglected tropical diseases seeks to reduce by 90 per cent the number of people requiring NTD interventions, cut NTD-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.
For millions of people living in communities where these diseases remain endemic, meeting those ambitions will require more than scientific breakthroughs. It will depend on reliable financing, accessible healthcare and sustained political commitment.The challenge now is to ensure that progress against diseases historically neglected by global health systems does not become another casualty of declining investment.
