WHO Warns on NTDs Mental Health, Funding Decline

On World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about the profound suffering, discrimination, social stigma, and untreated mental health conditions faced by millions living with NTDs. The WHO and its partners urged governments to integrate mental health care into NTD elimination efforts. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized that true elimination means freeing people from the shame, isolation, and despair associated with these diseases. To address this, the WHO launched its first global guide on the Essential care package to tackle mental health and stigma for persons with NTDs. While significant progress has been made in NTD elimination, with 58 countries having eliminated at least one NTD, global official development assistance for NTDs fell by 41% between 2018 and 2023, threatening to reverse these gains. The WHO highlighted the strong economic case for investing in NTD efforts, with a US$1 investment yielding an estimated US$25 return, and warned that inaction could cost affected families and communities an estimated US$33 billion annually.