Accelerating neglected tropical disease elimination through country-driven efforts and cross-border collaboration

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect more than 1 billion people globally, with the majority disproportionately impacting individuals who are already vulnerable or marginalized. By 2030, the World Health Organization’s NTD road map calls for 100 countries to achieve the elimination of at least one NTD and 90% fewer people needing treatment against NTDs. Agenda 2063, The Africa We Want, the Continental Framework for the Elimination and Control of NTDs by 2030, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 are aligned with the WHO targets and emphasize the integration of strategies and efforts to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including through the strengthening of health systems, increased community involvement, the addressing of socio-environmental factors, multisectoral coordination, universal health coverage and country ownership.

Much progress has been made over the past decade. As of April 2025, 55 countries have eliminated at least one NTD. Togo, Ghana, Kenya and Benin have successfully eliminated several NTDs each. Other countries have interrupted transmission of one or two such as Niger who has been verified in January 2025 for being free of onchocerciasis and Chad eliminated gambiense form of sleeping sickness in 2024. Now, in 2025, we are at the halfway point toward achieving the 2030 Roadmap goals. With so much at stake and a shifting global health funding landscape, this moment calls for renewed urgency and sustained elimination gains, investment, surveillance. In times of financial crisis,  countries leading and financing the fight against NTDs is more crucial than ever, as it enables nations to prioritize and tailor solutions that are both cost-effective and sustainable, ensuring progress despite limited resources.

While country accomplishments demonstrate considerable advancement in the fight against NTDs, elimination brings new challenges. Transmission of NTDs across international borders remains a barrier to achieving national elimination goals and accelerating progress toward the 2030 NTD roadmap targets. Additionally, climate change presents a growing challenge for post-elimination efforts of vector-borne NTDs, as rising temperatures and extreme weather events create favourable conditions for the transmission of infections and the re-emergence of diseases.

Strong, efficient, and proactive cross-border coordination such as joint planning and implementation, information and data-sharing among Member States is therefore critical to halt the transmission of NTDs in endemic districts across borders and support countries in their efforts to verify that NTD elimination is achieved and maintained with effective post-elimination surveillance.

Among all 21 NTDs, leishmaniasis is classified as one of the most neglected tropical diseases that has strong links with poverty. All forms of leishmaniases remain a major global public health problem with an estimated 700 000 to 1 million new cases annually. Around 1 billion people remain at risk of infection.

Among all NTDs, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is among the deadliest and outbreak-prone diseases and is endemic in all six WHO regions with 74% of its global burden in the eastern African epidemiological subregion. Elimination efforts are hampered by post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), a skin disease occurring in those apparently cured for VL, who then act as a further reservoir for VL disease. As such, skin NTDs are recognized as a key area to address within the resolution ‘skin diseases as a global health priority’ proposed for adoption at the WHA. Further, VL represents one of the most important and most advanced NTDs for which cross-border collaboration has taken place, particularly in the endemic countries of Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.

This was evidenced in June 2024, when all partners and stakeholders from these countries assembled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched the strategic framework to eliminate VL as a public health problem, 2023-2030 along with an agreement and consensus among the nine countries to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate for the VL elimination from East Africa. In response to this request from the Ministries of Health, the signing ceremony under the auspices of the African Union will take place during this event alongside the World Health Assembly.

Objectives of the meeting:

• Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to End visceral leishmaniasis among Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda
• Sharing cross-border collaboration examples and celebrating the endorsement of cross-border agreements and a Call for Action which will inspire and further enhance cross-border and multi-disease collaboration to accelerate progress towards global disease elimination targets.
• Sharing progress and celebrating successes of NTD elimination milestones, demonstrating country ownership and advocating for strategies to reach NTD elimination targets and to mitigate the risk of losing the gains made over the past decades, highlighting the opportunity of the implementation of the proposed resolution on skin diseases at WHA78.