World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, marked each year on 30 January, is one of the 13 global public health commemorations recognized by the WHO Member States. It was created in 2020 to raise awareness of these diseases and the actions needed to eradicate them. Currently, the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) list includes 21 diseases or groups of diseases, including several parasitic, viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases such as Leprosy, Rabies, Trachoma, Guinea worm disease, Buruli ulcer, Dengue, and Chikungunya that affect mainly populations already experiencing health and economic disparities, affecting an estimated of more than 1 billion people worldwide. These diseases are considered neglected because they are largely absent from the global health agenda and receive limited resources from global funding agencies. As these diseases are responsible for devastating health, social, and economic impacts, most of the time, they perpetuate a cycle of poverty, limited professional opportunities, and stigma and social exclusion.

NTDs are particularly sensitive to shifting global climate patterns. Effectively addressing the exacerbating effect of climate change on NTDs, including One Health approaches, and empowering people and communities for sustainable solutions is crucial. Person-centred and community-led approaches are critical for sustainable and effective NTD programmes. This commemoration is a call on governments, health workers, cooperation agencies, and community and civil organizations to unite and act to progress the elimination of these diseases, amplifying global awareness, research, and funding to boost efforts to control these diseases through multisectoral and multi-pronged approaches.

You can learn more about current actions and collaborations at:
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-ntd-day/2025
https://worldntdday.org

In celebration of World NTD Day, the International Journal of Infectious Diseases has launched a special issue that shines a spotlight on the global fight against neglected tropical diseases. This collection of articles not only showcases groundbreaking research and strategies but also captures the impact of public health initiatives dedicated to achieving the goal of eliminating NTDs by 2030.

Read the Special Issue "Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases" Here

ISID joins the global community on this commemoration that celebrates the achievements made towards NTDs control, recognizing at the same time the important challenges still present.

Additional publications on NTDs from our ISID Journals:

→ Bridging the Last Mile: The Critical Role of Local Civil Society in Advancing Equity and Inclusion for Neglected Tropical Diseases

→ Assessing the integration of skin screening into a mass drug administration campaign against neglected tropical diseases: A cross-sectional observational study from two districts in Côte d'Ivoire, 2023

→ Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis burden at the village level in selected high visceral leishmaniasis endemic upazilas in Bangladesh

→ Use of topical rSm29 in combination with intravenous meglumine antimoniate in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis: A randomized controlled trial

→ Lymphatic filariasis transmission 10 years after stopping mass drug administration in the Gomoa West District of Ghana

→ Combatting rabies outbreaks in Vietnam: High time to enforce restrictions on dog meat farming, a key source of transmission

→ Prevalence of Sarcoptes scabiei infestation and its associated factors among primary school children: A school-based cross-sectional survey in the Rufiji district, Tanzania

→ A One Health approach toward the control and elimination of soil-transmitted helminthic infections in endemic areas

→ The urgent need for developing and implementing a multisectoral One Health strategy for the surveillance, prevention, and control of eumycetoma