WASHINGTON (CMC) – Ahead of World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Friday called for increased efforts to eliminate these diseases, which affect more than 50 million people in the Americas.

PAHO said leprosy, dengue, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, rabies, scabies, schistosomiasis and trachoma are among the more than 20 diseases that primarily impact vulnerable populations with limited access to safe water, basic sanitation and healthcare services.

“Addressing this group of diseases requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach,” PAHO director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said.

He emphasised the importance of implementing strategies such as surveillance, mass drug administration, expanded vaccination coverage, vector control, and increased awareness and education.

Historically, these diseases have had a limited presence on the global public health agenda, receiving little attention and funding.

However, in recent years, it said NTDs have gained greater visibility due to various strategies, such as PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions by 2030, including 12 from the NTD group.

As of December 2024, PAHO said 54 countries worldwide had eliminated at least one NTD.

In the Americas, 11 countries have achieved at least one elimination target.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is observed on January 30. This year’s theme, “Acting Together. Putting Communities at the Heart of the Fight Against NTDs,” underscores “the importance of amplifying community voices, strengthening their capacities, and ensuring people are at the centre of actions while respecting their ways of life to ensure the sustainability of these efforts.”

Leprosy, part of the neglected tropical diseases group, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves.

If untreated, it can lead to progressive and permanent disabilities.

However, leprosy is curable through multidrug therapy (MDT), “an accessible and effective treatment.”

Early diagnosis plays “a crucial role in the fight against the disease and timely treatment can prevent disabilities and deformities, and stop transmission,” it said.

In 2023, PAHO said 182,815 new cases of leprosy were reported globally, 13.6 per cent of which were in the Region of the Americas.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 30,000 new cases were reported annually in the Americas.

However, this figure dropped significantly during the pandemic but rose again in 2023 to around 25,000 cases.

PAHO said World Leprosy Day, observed on the last Sunday of January, “aims to raise awareness about the disease and end discrimination, stigma and prejudice against patients.”