The World Health Organization has warned that funding cuts and declining international support threaten to reverse progress against neglected tropical diseases. According to the WHO's 2026 Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases, 63 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease by June 2026, up from 42 at the end of 2020. This progress is significant, but the report also notes that overall resources available for neglected tropical disease programmes remain 30 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels.
The number of people requiring interventions for neglected tropical diseases fell to 1.41 billion in 2024, representing a 36 per cent decline since 2010 and a 19 per cent reduction since 2020. Cases of sleeping sickness have dropped by 98 per cent since 1999, while guinea worm disease recorded only 10 human cases in 2025. These gains are a result of sustained investment from governments and development partners, but the report warns that this progress remains fragile.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that elimination of neglected tropical diseases is one of the standout success stories of global health. He urged countries to increase domestic financing, maintain external support, and integrate neglected tropical disease services into primary healthcare. The report highlights uneven progress, with dengue fever cases reaching a record 15.1 million in 2024, and deaths from vector-borne neglected tropical diseases rising.
The report also notes that international development assistance for neglected tropical diseases remains concentrated among a small number of donors, which accounted for nearly 80 per cent of funding between 2018 and 2024. This dependence has exposed programmes to abrupt funding reductions, disrupting mass treatment, disease surveillance, case management, and vector control. Donated medicines are also at risk of expiring due to funding uncertainties.
Despite the challenges, countries are increasingly integrating neglected tropical disease interventions into national health strategies, essential health service packages, and domestic budgets. The use of shared services to deliver interventions for multiple diseases is also gaining momentum, with the number of countries adopting the WHO's recommended skin neglected tropical disease strategy already exceeding the 2030 target.
Scientific advances have expanded treatment and prevention options for neglected tropical diseases, including a child-friendly medicine for schistosomiasis, generic miltefosine for leishmaniasis, and a dengue vaccine. Two chikungunya vaccines and new medicines for onchocerciasis and human African trypanosomiasis have also received regulatory approval. These advances have improved the management and control of neglected tropical diseases.
The WHO's 2021–2030 roadmap aims to reduce by 90 per cent the number of people requiring neglected tropical disease interventions, cut neglected tropical disease-related disability and premature deaths by 75 per cent, enable 100 countries to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease, and eradicate Guinea worm disease and yaws by 2030. The report calls on affected countries to increase domestic financing, integrate neglected tropical disease services into universal health coverage, and adapt programmes to conflict and climate change.
Key points
- WHO warns funding cuts threaten progress against neglected tropical diseases.
- 63 countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease by June 2026.
- WHO's 2021–2030 roadmap aims to reduce neglected tropical disease burden by 90 per cent.
