Highlighting the need to bring the focus on the neglected tropical diseases, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official stated that NTDs get little global attention as it is mostly the poor people who are affected by the diseases. “NTDs get little global attention as mostly poor get afflicted by the disease. Their voices are not heard. We should bring the focus in the disease irrespective of the fact that poor people are getting affected,” said Dhruv Pandey, National Professional Officer for Kala Azar (black fever), WHO, while speaking at a seminar organised in the national capital to mark the World Leprosy Day and World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, which are observed on January 30. A number of advocacy groups participated in the seminar titled ‘Future Forward 2020: Building Momentum for Inclusion and Elimination’ at the Constitution Club with an aim to highlight the existing burden, barriers and required policy interventions for the elimination of leprosy and the endemic of Neglected Tropical Diseases in India. What are Neglected Tropical Diseases? NTDs are a diverse group of communicable diseases that are common in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries. The WHO states that these bunch of diseases affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year. "Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected," says WHO. Speakers at the seminar included Dr Niraj Dhingra, director of Government of India's National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme, Dhruv Pandey, WHO, and sector leaders such as Arman Ali, executive director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). People suffering from leprosy also attended the seminar. “In line with the commitment to highlight the burden of NTDs and raise public discourse on the issue, NTD partners in India - Global Health Strategies (GHS), The Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLMTI) and National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) will adopt an integrated approach and support each other in undertaking several activities to galvanize visibility on the issue,” said Arman Ali, the NCPEDP Director. As per the WHO data, around 58 per cent of the newly diagnosed leprosy cases in the world in 2018 were in India. This despite the fact that India officially eliminated leprosy in 2005, reducing its prevalence rate to 0.72 per 10,000 people at the national level. However, as reported by the National Leprosy Eradication Programme of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in 2017-18, a total of 1,26,164 cases of leprosy were detected in India. Dr Neeraj Dhingra, Director, NVBDCP (Govt of India) & DDG Leprosy said that capacity building of health workers is the key to eradication of disease. “Elimination starts with mind-set change. We need to address issues related to elimination holistically,” said Dhingra.
