Table 1.
Summary of the nine neglected tropical diseases studied in these papers, where elimination refers to elimination as a public health problem. Data sources: WHO
| Name | Transmission | Global picture | Interventions | WHO target for 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preventive chemotherapy (PCT) diseases, controlled by mass drug administration (MDA) programmes | ||||
| Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) | Worm transmitted by mosquito | Tropical and subtropical countries in Africa, Asia, the Western Pacific, the Caribbean and South America | Annual/biannual MDA (ivermectin, albendazole and DEC), vector control through insecticide-treated bed nets or spraying | Global elimination |
| Onchocerciasis (river blindness) | Worm transmitted by black fly | Primarily occurs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa (99 % of cases) | MDA (ivermectin) and vector control | Country elimination |
| Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) | Intestinal worm, water-borne transmission with snail intermediate host | Affect at least 240 million people worldwide. Most commonly found in Africa, as well as Asia and South-America | MDA (praziquantel) to school-agechildren and high-risk adults, along with WASH and possible snail control | Regional and country elimination |
| Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (roundworm, whipworm, hookworm) | Intestinal worms transmitted via soil contaminated with fecal matter | Over 1 billion people affected, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, India and Southeast Asian countries | MDA (albendazole, mebendazole) treatment of school-aged children. Treatment of pre-school aged children and women of childbearing age is also recommended. | 75 % coverage with (bi)annual PCT |
| Blinding trachoma | Bacterial infection transmitted by flies, fingers and fomites. | 84 million active cases globally. | MDA (azithromycin) and surgery, along with improved hygiene | Global elimination |
| Intensified disease management (IDM) diseases, controlled by increased diagnosis and management of cases | ||||
| Chagas disease | Protozoan transmitted by triatomines (kissing bugs) | 8 million infected in the Americas, 10,000 deaths per year. | Spraying with indoor residual insecticides, housing improvements. | Regional elimination |
| HAT (sleeping sickness), Gambian form | Protozoan transmitted by tsetse fly | <4000 new cases in 2014 | Treatment, active/mass screening and vector control with tsetse targets. | Global elimination |
| Leprosy | Bacterium with unclear mode of transmission: contact or droplet likely | 200,000 new diagnoses per year, >80 % from India, Brazil and Indonesia | Early diagnosis and treatment | Global elimination |
| Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in the Indian sub-continent | Protozoan transmitted by sand fly | 200,000–400,000 cases annually, 80 % in Indian sub-continent. | Indoor residual spraying of insecticides, insecticide-treated bed nets, active case detection, rapid diagnosis and treatment | Regional elimination |