What happened
On 4 November, the World Health Organization published its Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2026, a midterm check on its road map for 2021 to 2030. By June 2026, 63 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD), up from 42 at the end of 2020, WHO said.
NTDs are a group of infections and conditions, including sleeping sickness, river blindness, schistosomiasis, trachoma, leprosy and dengue, that mostly affect the poorest communities. The number of people needing interventions against them fell to 1.41 billion in 2024, which is 36% fewer than in 2010 and 19% fewer than in 2020. Cases of sleeping sickness have dropped by 98% since 1999, and Guinea worm disease fell to a record low of just 10 human cases in 2025, according to WHO.
Why it matters
These diseases cause blindness, disfigurement, disability and stigma, and they keep families poor because sick people cannot work or go to school. Each country that eliminates one of them has stopped a source of suffering that often went on for generations. In GGND’s view, the figures show what decades of mass treatment, donated medicines, clean water and patient work by local health workers can achieve, much of it without headlines.
There are new tools too. WHO points to a child-friendly medicine for schistosomiasis called arpraziquantel, generic miltefosine for leishmaniasis and a dengue vaccine. Two chikungunya vaccines and new medicines for river blindness (onchocerciasis) and sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) have also been approved by regulators. Countries are also getting more efficient: 43 have adopted integrated strategies for skin-related NTDs, already more than the 2030 target, according to the report’s executive summary.
Elimination of neglected tropical diseases is one of the standout success stories of global health.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
The wider picture
The report is honest that progress is uneven. Its summary says “gains have been real but uneven”, that most indicators remain below the 2030 targets, that neither eradication programme is on track, and that external financing “has contracted sharply”. Dengue cases reached a record 15.1 million in 2024, deaths from vector-borne NTDs have risen, and yaws eradication is off track. Only three disease-specific indicators reached their 2025 milestones, WHO said.
Money is the biggest worry. A small number of donors accounted for nearly 80% of international development assistance for NTDs between 2018 and 2024. That has made programmes vulnerable to sudden cuts, which have disrupted mass treatment, case management, surveillance and vector control, and put donated medicines at risk of expiring, WHO said. Overall, resources for NTDs remain 30% below pre-COVID-19 levels, and some programmes face a near-total loss of dedicated funding, KBC reported.
“The hard-won gains we have made could easily be lost, so countries and partners must step up, not step back,” Dr Tedros said, calling for more domestic financing, continued external support and the integration of NTD services into primary health care, CIDRAP reported.
Could it work elsewhere?
It already does, in dozens of countries. The approach that works is well known: treat whole communities, find and manage cases, control insects and snails that spread disease, and improve water and sanitation. What is changing is who pays. WHO says more affected countries are putting NTDs into national health strategies, essential service packages and domestic budgets. In GGND’s view, that shift from donor projects to everyday health services is the most important sign in the report, because it is what will protect gains when aid moves elsewhere.
What remains unresolved
- Funding gaps. With resources 30% below pre-pandemic levels and support concentrated in a few donors, it is not clear who will fill the gap left by recent cuts.
- Off-track targets. The road map aims for 100 countries to eliminate at least one NTD and for 90% fewer people to need interventions by 2030. WHO says faster and sustained action will be needed to meet them.
- Dengue and climate. Record dengue cases and rising deaths from vector-borne diseases show that some NTDs are spreading, not shrinking, as climates and cities change.
- Data. WHO says gaps in timely and complete data, including data broken down by gender, make progress hard to measure.
What happens next
With five years left to 2030, WHO is asking affected countries to raise domestic financing, make integrated delivery the default and adapt programmes to conflict and climate change. It is asking donors to broaden their support across NTD interventions, and recipient countries to diversify their funding to reduce dependency, according to the WHO release. In GGND’s view, the next two budget cycles will show whether this midterm warning is heeded. The full report is available from WHO.
Sources
- World Health Organization Progress against neglected tropical diseases requires sustained action (4 November 2026)
- World Health Organization Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2026: executive summary (4 November 2026)
- CIDRAP WHO highlights major progress as 63 nations report eliminating at least 1 neglected tropical disease (November 2026)
- KBC WHO warns funding cuts threaten gains against neglected tropical diseases (5 November 2026)
Analysis and context are by The GGND Team. Where we draw our own conclusions, we say so. To report an error, contact us.
