PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: Global health policy and neglected tropical diseases: Then, now, and in the years to come
Thomas Fürst of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and colleagues

“…[B]eing considered in the vast [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] agenda will not automatically ensure or even further raise the profile of [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)]. … [M]uch has been achieved in the fight against NTDs over the past years with regards to (global) health policy and financing, but major challenges are still ahead … In order to address these challenges and sustain the momentum also when NTD prevalences and morbidities dwindle, it may be advisable to complement the original rallying cry about the ‘neglect’ of the respective tropical diseases. Major achievements and particularly historic opportunities for success in the control, elimination, and — in the cases of dracunculiasis and yaws — even eradication of NTDs should be strongly emphasized to ensure a continued buy-in from existing partners and to mobilize additional stakeholders” (9/14).