The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that funding cuts and declining international support could reverse progress against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), despite significant gains in prevention and treatment globally.
The WHO’s 2026 Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases shows that 63 countries had eliminated at least one NTD by June 2026, up from 42 at the end of 2020.
In a press release, WHO says that the number of people requiring interventions for NTDs fell to 1.41 billion in 2024, representing a 36 per cent decline since 2010 and a 19 per cent reduction since 2020.
Cases of sleeping sickness have dropped by 98 per cent since 1999, while guinea worm disease recorded only 10 human cases in 2025.
However, the report warns that overall resources available for NTD programmes remain 30 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels, with some programmes facing near-total loss of dedicated funding.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the gains remained fragile and required sustained investment from governments and development partners.
“Elimination of neglected tropical diseases is one of the standout success stories of global health,” he said, urging countries to increase domestic financing, maintain external support and integrate NTD services into primary healthcare.
The report highlights uneven progress, with dengue fever cases reaching a record 15.1 million in 2024, deaths from vector-borne NTDs rising and efforts to eradicate yaws, a chronic, non-venereal infectious tropical disease caused by the spirochete bacterium, falling behind schedule.
Only three disease-specific indicators achieved their 2025 milestones, while gaps in timely and comprehensive data continue to hinder progress monitoring.
The report also notes that international development assistance for NTDs remains concentrated among a small number of donors, which accounted for nearly 80 per cent of funding between 2018 and 2024.
This dependence has exposed programmes to abrupt funding reductions, disrupting mass treatment, disease surveillance, case management and vector control, while putting donated medicines at risk of expiring.
Despite the challenges, countries are increasingly integrating NTD interventions into national health strategies, essential health service packages and domestic budgets.
WHO said the use of shared services to deliver interventions for multiple diseases was also gaining momentum, with the number of countries adopting its recommended skin NTD strategy already exceeding the 2030 target.
Scientific advances have expanded treatment and prevention options, including a child-friendly medicine 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.
The report calls on affected countries to increase domestic financing, integrate NTD services into universal health coverage and adapt programmes to conflict and climate change.
It also urges donors to broaden support across NTD interventions and recipient countries to diversify funding sources to reduce dependence on a small number of partners.
WHO’s 2021–2030 roadmap aims 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 by 2030.
