Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of illnesses that affect about one billion people worldwide, mostly in poor and underserved areas. These diseases are preventable, treatable, and even eliminable. By May 2025, 56 countries had successfully eliminated at least one NTD, showing progress toward the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of 100 countries achieving elimination by 2030.
However, this progress is now at serious risk. Cuts in official development assistance (ODA) for global health, especially for NTD programs, threaten to halt or reverse years of advancement. Vulnerable communities stand to suffer the most.
Funding Withdrawal Endangers NTD Progress
The recent decision by the United States to withdraw funding from NTD projects puts nearly two decades of investment in danger. According to early reports shared with WHO, this funding cut has delayed 47 mass treatment campaigns. These campaigns were planned to free 143 million people from NTDs.
In 2020, WHO member states endorsed the Roadmap for NTDs 2021–2030, aiming to meet elimination targets by 2030. Missing these 2025 campaigns and impact surveys will delay progress in at least 10 more countries. The sudden funding cuts have also stopped important research into new treatments, diagnostics, and monitoring systems needed to control these diseases globally.
On April 10, 2025, WHO warned that over 70% of its country offices reported health service disruptions linked to cuts in ODA. NTD programs are among the hardest hit. In some places, the scale of disruption rivals what was seen during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many countries now face critical shortages of medicines and health supplies. About one-third of responding nations lack essential drugs for key health services. The funding suspension has also led to job losses for health workers in over half of these countries.
Without urgent new delivery methods, over 55 million NTD tablets risk expiration by the end of 2025 in Africa alone. In response, some countries are trying to integrate NTD treatment with other health programs and mobilize local resources to maintain progress and avoid wasting medicines.
Major Achievements at Risk
Over the last 20 years, the U.S. government, mainly through USAID, supported the delivery of 3.3 billion treatments to 1.7 billion people across 26 countries. This effort helped reduce or stop infections like lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, schistosomiasis, intestinal worms, and trachoma. It also led 14 countries—including Bangladesh, Ghana, Mexico, and Vietnam—to eliminate at least one NTD.
Despite many challenges, NTD programs have continued to deliver strong results. In 2023 alone, over 860 million people received treatment, and from January 2023 to May 2025, WHO officially recognized 17 countries for eliminating an NTD. Now, with drug distribution halted and frontline workers laid off, these hard-won gains are at risk. Experts worry about the return of NTDs in the worst-affected regions.
Broader Funding Challenges
The U.S. funding withdrawal is part of a larger trend. Financial support for NTDs has declined in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in 2021, the UK government ended its major NTD program, Ascend. However, some new commitments made at the December 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum offered hope for renewed investment.
Funding cuts come at a critical time when NTD programs face new challenges. Climate change is increasing the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever. In 2024, WHO declared dengue a grade 3 emergency after over 14 million cases and 10,000 deaths across 107 countries. The risk remains high, but prevention and control efforts suffer from lack of resources.
NTD programs are among the most cost-effective global health initiatives. Strong public-private partnerships have helped deliver life-saving medicines at minimal cost. Since 2011, pharmaceutical donations worth over $12 billion from companies like Bayer, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi have been critical to these efforts.
Cutting funding threatens to undo this public health success. It risks worsening cycles of disease and poverty, pushing vulnerable communities deeper into hardship and inequality.
Looking Ahead
At the recent Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, NTDs were a key focus. Member states unanimously adopted resolutions to eradicate Guinea-worm disease and address skin diseases.
This moment calls for renewed global commitment. Countries must build sustainable, nationally owned NTD programs supported by vital external funding. Together, the world must work to eliminate these diseases fully and free millions from their devastating impact.
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