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January 30 marks the third-annual observance of World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day. This global day of recognition raises awareness about NTDs, a group of ancient infectious diseases that impact more than 1.7 billion people around the world.
To date, 43 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, and despite COVID-19, governments are innovating and adapting to ensure treatment and care are still reaching individuals and communities.
For more than 15 years, RTI has been proud to support health ministries in delivering successful, cost-effective, and sustainable efforts to control and eliminate NTDs. Together, these efforts have reached tremendous scale and impact – including delivering more than 2.1 billion treatments to more than 219 million people.
Through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Act to End NTDs | East program (2018-2023), we are working to ensure NTD services are equitable, inclusive, and embedded within national health systems.
Ahead of World NTD Day, we join the World Health Organization and more than 300 partners in celebrating global progress to eliminate NTDs and calling for continued investment and action.
Learn more about some of this progress below.
Photo Credit: Conrad Roy/RTI International
Video Series: Journey to End NTDs
Researchers Have Developed an App to Help Detect a Neglected Tropical Disease Affecting Millions of People Worldwide
Researchers from RTI International and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill have leveraged machine learning technology to detect trachomatous trichiasis (TT), the painful end stage of the trachoma that can lead to blindness if not promptly diagnosed and treated with surgery. The research team has created a new smartphone-based app called the “TT Screener” that uses an algorithm to assess high quality photos of eyes and detect trichiasis in 13 seconds. The new technology is estimated to detect cases of trachomatous trichiasis with 92% accuracy.
Reaching the Last Mile: The Trachoma Investigators of Mozambique
A small boat slips through narrow channels off Mozambique’s Zambezi River, carrying a special team of investigators. They don’t have badges or uniforms — but they are certainly on a mission.
The team is part of a global effort to reach some of the hardest to reach communities with NTD services and to design solutions to ensure every affected community can eliminate these diseases.