Emily Bell: Neglected Tropical Diseases Cause Debilitation and Death for Thousands of People in Tanzania

The Who Cares? Campaign blog is exploring Neglected Tropical Diseases for the month of February.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are taking a massive toll  in the world’s poorest communities, including in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization reported these staggering statistics about the impact of NTDs worldwide:

• About 1 billion people are affected by one or more NTDs.
• Over 1 billion people – one sixth of the world’s population – suffer from one or more neglected tropical diseases.
• Neglected tropical diseases kill an estimated 534, 000 people worldwide every year.
• Parasitic and bacterial diseases, known to be neglected, are among some of the most common infections affecting an estimated 2.7 billion people who live on less than US$ 2 a day.
• There are primarily 14 diseases currently listed as NTDs. Most can be prevented and eliminated. They thrive in places with unsafe water, poor sanitation, and limited access to basic health care. They cause severe pain and life-long disabilities and are often less visible and have a low priority.
• For example, about 120 million people are infected worldwide with lymphatic filariasis. The disease is the second leading cause of disability worldwide.’
• Approximately 80 million people are infected with blinding trachoma (of whom 6 million are blind) – the leading cause of blindness worldwide.

In Tanzania, where the Touch Foundation works, NTDs take thousands of lives and debilitate many more each year. Water born illnesses such are particularly common in the Lake Zone.

Vice President of Tanzania, Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, noted that NTDs “debilitate, deform, blind and even kill many people in the endemic areas. These are serious diseases which inflict and weigh their heavy and corrosive burden on the lives of the affected individuals and communities as well as countries in most parts of Africa. They affect the poorest segment of the population, and their greatest impact is in the way they exacerbate poverty, stigmatize individuals and inhibit communities from being able to care for themselves and their families.”

Emily Bell is Head of Advocacy and Communications for the Touch Foundation.