PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: World neglected tropical diseases day
Peter J. Hotez, PLOS NTDs editor in chief, and colleagues

“…We must recognize that an unstable world has created an uncertain future for the control and elimination of the world’s NTDs. The current funding stream for preventive chemotherapy is fragile and under threat, and the current innovation ecosystem for new technologies is inadequate. World NTD Day is a time to acknowledge our successes, but also to recognize that the world’s poor will likely continue to suffer from NTDs in the absence of continued and expanded commitments from global leaders, policymakers, and the donor community” (1/29).

U.S. News & World Report: The Moral Imperative to Fight Tropical Diseases
Allyson Bear, former USAID public health specialist, and Andreas Nshala, who leads NTD work in Tanzania, both with Corus International

“…In order to eliminate extreme poverty around the world, the United States must continue to invest in what is one of the most successful foreign assistance programs in the country’s history. Through sustained American leadership and investment, U.S. Agency for International Development programs to combat NTDs have reached nearly 300 million people affected by disfiguring and debilitating diseases. Taxpayer funds are highly leveraged, making them smart fiscal investments for the U.S.: Every $1 in USAID investment has led to $26 in pharmaceutical donations used to fight these diseases. Faith-based humanitarian organizations are key partners with the U.S. government in carrying this fight against NTDs around the world. Their mission is rooted in the moral imperatives to prevent and alleviate human suffering and is precisely why faith-based organizations such as ours, IMA World Health, choose to prevent and treat NTDs in some of the world’s most challenging environments…” (1/29).

VOA News: Inaugural Observance of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day
Editorial Board

“…Since the [USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases Program] began in 2006, USAID has helped leverage 22 billion dollars in donated drugs from five pharmaceutical companies. That has allowed 2.6 billion treatments of medicine to go to 1.3 billion people, or 1 out of every 6 people around the globe. Thus far, 10 USAID-supported countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease as a public health problem. The United States believes that the first-annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day kicks off an important year in the fight against neglected diseases of poverty. Reducing the burden of disease and disability caused by NTDs is essential to improving the lives of the world’s poorest people” (1/30).