Select a date Select month July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 Select a category Agriculture Bihar Votes For Its (and India’s) Future BUDGET 2014 Budget 2015: Modi’s Moment of Reckoning Budget 2016: The stories behind the numbers Chart of the Day Climate Change Cover Story Currency Chaos Development Education Elections 2014 Employment Fact Check Governance Newsletter Health homepage video Hunger India’s Great Challenge: Health & Sanitation IndiaSpend In The News IndiaSpend Interviews Industry Investigations Central State Latest Headlines Latest Reports Making Sense of Breaking News Modi’s Message: India’s States Reply Modi’s Report Card Mumbai Special Mumbai Special: The Revival Agenda Opinion – Videos Opinions Pollution Poverty Prime Time: India’s Grand Challenges Resources Central State Sectors Agriculture Defence Economy & Policy Education Health Infrastructure Snapshots States Central India Chattisgarh Madhya Pradesh EAST Bihar Jharkhand Orissa West Bengal NORTH Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir New Delhi Punjab Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand NORTH EAST Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura SOUTH Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu WEST Goa Gujarat Maharashtra Story In A Minute The Air We #Breathe The Road To Delhi: Elections 2015 The Transition: 2015-2016 Uncategorized Viznomics: A Quick Glance At Big Issues Welfare Women Women@Work Women@Work Search with Google

Students participate in deworming day to prevent schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic flatworms, at a primary school in Hyderabad. One in every six is affected by neglected tropical diseases across the world, and an estimated one billion people received treatment in 2015.

India has achieved the target for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar), a neglected tropical disease (NTD), in 82% sub-districts, according to the fourth World Health Organization (WHO) report on NTDs released on April 19, 2017.

Another significant achievement by India was the elimination of yaws, a chronic skin disease that mostly affects poor children, in 2015; WHO recognised India as the first member state to “achieve this important milestone”.

India has also progressed in treating lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), and has stopped mass drug administration in 72 endemic districts after passing evaluations.

NTDs are some of the oldest and most painful diseases, afflicting the world’s poorest communities. It is estimated that one in six people in the world suffers from NTDs–including more than half a billion children.

NTDs disable, debilitate and perpetuate cycles of poverty, keeping children out of school, parents out of work, and dampening hope of any chance of an economic future.

An estimated one billion people received treatment in 2015 for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as leprosy, elephantiasis, leishmaniasis (kala azar) and schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic flatworms.

The largest number of people needing treatment and care for NTDs–in excess of 100 million–are found in India, Indonesia and Nigeria, which together account for 47% of cases worldwide.

India has set a target of eliminating visceral leishmaniasis by 2017 and lymphatic filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017, IndiaSpend reported on February 23, 2017.

“WHO has observed record-breaking progress towards bringing ancient scourges like sleeping sickness and elephantiasis to their knees,” Margaret Chan, director general, WHO, said.

“Over the past 10 years, millions of people have been rescued from disability and poverty, thanks to one of the most effective global partnerships in modern public health,” Chan added.

As more countries and regions eliminate NTDs, the number of people requiring treatments has declined from two billion in 2010 to 1.6 billion in 2015, the WHO report said.

Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Tanzania have reduced the number of people needing treatment by more than 10 million since 2010.

We welcome feedback. Please write to respond@indiaspend.org. We reserve the right to edit responses for language and grammar.

__________________________________________________________________

“Liked this story? Indiaspend.org is a non-profit, and we depend on readers like you to drive our public-interest journalism efforts. Donate Rs 500; Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000.”