EVI, 30 January 2025

Every year on 30th January the Global community comes together to mark World NTDs Day and renew its commitment to eliminating its burden worldwide.

NTDs are preventable and treatable, and we have observed significant progress thanks to the dedicated efforts of governments, communities and health organisations.

Some notable developments related to NTDs as of January 2025:

• 54 countries have eliminated at least one NTD to end 2024, The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in October 2024 that Vietnam has successfully eliminated blinding trachoma as a public health problem: Neglected Diseases

• Eight Countries Eliminate an NTD in 2022 Malawi, Vanuatu, Uganda, and five other nations eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease in 2022, as reported by WHO: WHO report

• WHO's has launched new roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021–2030, focusing on the development of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and NTDs: World Health Organization (WHO)

• Africa CDC Launches Blueprint to Combat NTDs: The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched a continental blueprint to combat endemic and NTDs, aiming to enhance coordinated efforts across the continent.

While these milestones reflect remarkable progress, as we have succeeded in eliminating a portion of the NTDs. It is imperative that we remain resolute in our efforts, as it is possible for the diseases to relapse. Much work remains to be done to have a NTD free world.

At European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) we recommit to supporting innovative solutions through vaccines and amplifying awareness in the fight against neglected diseases.  

Vaccines are essential for preventing and controlling NTDs. They not only curb transmission, but also provide long term immunity, reducing the risk of reinfection and lowering the overall disease burden. This approach is more cost-effective than prolonged treatment and management, especially in resource-limited areas. EVI-led project PREV_PKDL is advancing the clinical development of the ChAd63-KH vaccine candidate to prevent visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Additionally, EVI has supported preclinical research on dengue, chikungunya, and onchocerciasis through TRANSVAC, a European research infrastructure project, which supports researchers by offering state-of-the-art custom expert guidance and services, accelerating and fostering vaccine innovation.

Emphasising the importance of efficient action, World NTD Day 2025 theme UNITE, ACT, ELIMINATE seeks to unify all stakeholders in a unified goal towards the eradication of NTDs.

Learn more about NTDs: https://worldntdday.org/