Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases
Encyclopedia
The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (GNNTD) is an advocacy initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute
dedicated to raising the awareness, political will, and funding necessary to control and eliminate the most common Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)--a group of disabling, disfiguring, and deadly diseases affecting more than 1.4 billion people worldwide living on less than $1.25 a day.
The Global Network provides an advocacy platform for the broad NTD community that reaches the attention of policymakers, philanthropists, thought leaders, and the general public. Through that platform, the Global Network highlights the work—including implementation, research, advocacy, and policy efforts—of the NTD community at the local, national, and international levels. The Global Network collaborates closely with the World Health Organization
and other technical agencies, NGOs, donors, and the broader public health community; together they support international organizations, governments, and afflicted communities that work through regional strategies to advocate for and implement NTD control and elimination programs.
announced the launch of The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases—the first-ever global effort to combat NTDs in an integrated framework. At the time, NTD control was seen as a monumental task, with 1.4 billion people infected with and suffering from NTDs around the world. Over the last decade, several organizations on the ground had made significant progress on individual diseases, but reaching more people in need of treatment in a cost-effective way required an integrated approach to combating NTDs collectively.
In the years since the Global Network launched, it has experienced significant growth as it deepens its commitment to fighting NTDs around the world through resource mobilization and advocacy efforts. Simultaneously, through the work of Global Network collaborators, hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people are currently receiving a low-cost rapid-impact package of essential NTD drugs, enabling them to break out of a devastating cycle of poverty and disease.
, Latin America
and the Caribbean
, and South East Asia. Together, they disable, disfigure, blind, and even kill, causing chronic morbidity that is on par with the “big three” global health threats: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
, and malaria
.
The Global Network focuses on the seven most common NTDs that together represent 90% of the total NTD disease burden. These seven are:
In recent decades, the pharmaceutical industry has amassed an impressive track record of partnering with non-governmental organizations on large-scale treatment campaigns for NTDs. The drug donations themselves are valued at over US $1 billion and represent the largest drug donations in history. The few drugs that are not donated* are available at very low costs.
*Diethylcarbamazine (DEC), one drug used to treat lymphatic filariasis, is not donated.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have greatly increased the feasibility of control efforts by donating most of the drugs needed to treat the seven most common NTDs. This philanthropy reduces programmatic costs and enhances sustainability at the country level. In fact, long-term partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry allow Global Network members to provide the rapid-impact package at a cost of approximately 50 cents per person, per year.
Through a cost-effective approach, NTD control represents a “best buy” in public health, and—especially in this time of global economic constraint—a key mechanism by which it can achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The Global Network also offers a new model for global health, coordinating the actions of a diverse group of allies and crafting effective strategies that empower countries and affected communities to take a lead role in eliminating these diseases. The Global Network relies on best practices from the private sector to ensure that these strategies are implemented effectively, and that results are measured consistently.
grants that help shape the goals and direction of its NTD advocacy efforts:
Grant 1: $3.8 million over 3 years (2/2008 - 2/2011)
Objectives:
Grant 2: $34 million over 5 years (1/2009 – 1/2014)
Objectives:
Major milestones in NTD policy:
February 2008: U.S. President George W. Bush
announces 5-year, $350 million commitment to fight NTDs in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
July 2008: For the first time ever, NTDs are placed on the agenda at the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan
September 2008: British Department for International Development (DFID) announces a £50 million commitment to control and eliminate guinea worm and a number of other common NTDs.
September 2008: U.S. President Bill Clinton
calls Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez
on stage with him and Gordon Brown at the closing plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. President Clinton highlights the work of the Global Network and recommends that those listening donate to NTD control.
April 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama
unveils new Global Health Initiative, which calls for the control and elimination of NTDs as one of four critical global health pillars.
July 2009: Leaders at the G8 Summit in L’Acquilla, Italy state: “We will implement further efforts towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010…We will combine this with actions to: combat TB and Malaria; address the spread of Neglected Tropical Diseases and work towards completing the task of polio eradication.”
July 2009: U.S. President Obama discusses NTDs in his keynote speech in Ghana during his first trip to Africa.
February 2010: The Obama Administration unveils the 2011 United States federal budget
and the details of the Global Health Initiative, including a budget of $155 million for NTDs, a 138% increase over the previous year.
Alyssa Milano
In June 2007, Alyssa Milano became the Global Network's first ambassador. Milano, an actress and active philanthropist, was introduced to the Global Network through her involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative. Upon hearing a panel discussion on NTDs that included Dr. Peter Hotez (President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute
) and former President Jimmy Carter
, she pledged to dedicate time, effort and funds to promote advocacy, policy and partnerships in the global fight against NTDs.
Milano's first action as ambassador was to pledge $250,000 to the Global Network. The Global Network and its member organizations used Milano's first-year donation to develop a full-scale implementation program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Myanmar. More specifically, 12 million tablets of DEC, an antiparasitic drug that is part of the rapid-impact package, were purchased to treat 4 million individuals. In 2008, Milano’s second-year donation went toward the purchase of DEC to treat LF in Haiti. Her donation will allow for the treatment of over one-third of Haiti’s entire population.
Sec. Tommy Thompson
In July 2008, the Global Network announced Tommy G. Thompson as a Global Ambassador. Thompson is the former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and four-term Governor of Wisconsin. Secretary Thompson will represent the NTD community as an advocate on Capitol Hill and as a leader in global health. He will also champion global medical diplomacy as a crucial part of United States foreign and defense policies.
In August 2008, Secretary Thompson traveled through Rwanda as part of his first medical diplomacy mission on behalf of the Global Network. There, he had the opportunity to join Rwanda’s Ministry of Health in launching the first-ever national deworming campaign in the Nyaruguru District as part of its Mother/Child Health Week. The event dewormed 3.8 million people for soil-transmitted helminthes and treated 107,000 people for schistosomiasis
.
, will work to raise public awareness of NTDs. Dr. Baldwin will play a key role in the Global Network's signature grassroots project, the Campus Challenge, encouraging students to start fund raising campaigns in the school or community. Dr. Baldwin will also promote medical diplomacy efforts by engaging in NTD prevention and treatment during his humanitarian work. As part of the SOUTHCOM mission which began May 29th, Dr. Baldwin had a special focus on NTDs, which impact over 230 million people in the region.
End the Neglect Blog
Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a non-profit, 501 organization dedicated to reducing needless humansuffering from vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases through prevention and treatment...
dedicated to raising the awareness, political will, and funding necessary to control and eliminate the most common Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)--a group of disabling, disfiguring, and deadly diseases affecting more than 1.4 billion people worldwide living on less than $1.25 a day.
The Global Network provides an advocacy platform for the broad NTD community that reaches the attention of policymakers, philanthropists, thought leaders, and the general public. Through that platform, the Global Network highlights the work—including implementation, research, advocacy, and policy efforts—of the NTD community at the local, national, and international levels. The Global Network collaborates closely with the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
and other technical agencies, NGOs, donors, and the broader public health community; together they support international organizations, governments, and afflicted communities that work through regional strategies to advocate for and implement NTD control and elimination programs.
History
At the September 2006 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, former U.S. President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
announced the launch of The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases—the first-ever global effort to combat NTDs in an integrated framework. At the time, NTD control was seen as a monumental task, with 1.4 billion people infected with and suffering from NTDs around the world. Over the last decade, several organizations on the ground had made significant progress on individual diseases, but reaching more people in need of treatment in a cost-effective way required an integrated approach to combating NTDs collectively.
In the years since the Global Network launched, it has experienced significant growth as it deepens its commitment to fighting NTDs around the world through resource mobilization and advocacy efforts. Simultaneously, through the work of Global Network collaborators, hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people are currently receiving a low-cost rapid-impact package of essential NTD drugs, enabling them to break out of a devastating cycle of poverty and disease.
About NTDs
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 13 parasitic and bacterial infections that infect approximately 1.4 billion of the world’s poorest people in sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and South East Asia. Together, they disable, disfigure, blind, and even kill, causing chronic morbidity that is on par with the “big three” global health threats: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
The Global Network focuses on the seven most common NTDs that together represent 90% of the total NTD disease burden. These seven are:
- AscariasisAscariasisAscariasis is a human disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Perhaps as many as one quarter of the world's people are infected, with rates of 45% in Latin America and 95% in parts of Africa. Ascariasis is particularly prevalent in tropical regions and in areas of poor...
(roundworm) -807 million infected - TrichuriasisTrichuriasisTrichuriasis is a parasitic infection primarily in the tissue of the cecum, appendix, colon and rectum that is caused by Trichuris trichiura , an intestinal parasitic nematode .-Agent :...
(whipwormWhipwormThe human tapworm is a roundworm, which causes trichuriasis when it infects a human large intestine. The name whipworm refers to the shape of the worm; they look like whips with wider "handles" at the posterior end.-Life cycle:The female T. trichiura produces 2,000–10,000 single celled eggs per day...
) – 604 million infected - HookwormHookwormThe hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...
– 576 million infected - SchistosomiasisSchistosomiasisSchistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
(snail fever) – 207 million infected - Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasisElephantiasisElephantiasis is a disease that is characterized by the thickening of the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs and male genitals. In some cases the disease can cause certain body parts, such as the scrotum, to swell to the size of a softball or basketball. It is caused by...
) -120 million infected - TrachomaTrachomaTrachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
(blinding trachoma) – 84 million infected - OnchocerciasisOnchocerciasisOnchocerciasis , also known as river blindness and Robles' disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode . Onchocerciasis is the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness. It is not the nematode, but its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, that...
(river blindness) -37 million infected
Control efforts
An integrated treatment approach, known as the rapid-impact package, treats the seven most common NTDs through a combination of four drugs.In recent decades, the pharmaceutical industry has amassed an impressive track record of partnering with non-governmental organizations on large-scale treatment campaigns for NTDs. The drug donations themselves are valued at over US $1 billion and represent the largest drug donations in history. The few drugs that are not donated* are available at very low costs.
| Donor Company | Drug Donation | Disease Treated |
|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co. | MectizanTM (ivermectin) | Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis |
| Merck KGaA | Praziquantel | Schistosomiasis |
| MedPharm | Praziquantel | Schistosomiasis |
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | Albendazole | Lymphatic Filariasis (also can be used to treat Ascariasis, Hookworm, and Trichuriasis) |
| Johnson & Johnson (J&J) | MebendazoleTM | Ascariasis |
| Pfizer | ZithromaxTM (azythromycin) | Trachoma |
*Diethylcarbamazine (DEC), one drug used to treat lymphatic filariasis, is not donated.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have greatly increased the feasibility of control efforts by donating most of the drugs needed to treat the seven most common NTDs. This philanthropy reduces programmatic costs and enhances sustainability at the country level. In fact, long-term partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry allow Global Network members to provide the rapid-impact package at a cost of approximately 50 cents per person, per year.
Approach
The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases raises the profile of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and builds support for control and elimination activities through our efforts to educate, advocate, catalyze, and convene. It highlights efforts underway in the field, and connects global players and afflicted communities to increase access to vital medicines that can stop these illnesses and lift the world’s poorest people out of poverty. It works through three primary tracks:- Advocacy and policy: The network raises the profile of NTDs among policymakers, thought leadership, and the general public to foster the collective will to take action and support the control and elimination of these diseases. It works with the broader NTD and global health communities to educate policymakers, providing them timely, useful information so that they can develop and champion legislation around NTDs more effectively. Through communications efforts, it spotlights the leaders and pioneers of the NTD community, from community drug distributors to scientists to the donors supporting the programs. It works to ensure that the general public is aware of NTDs and is inspired to take action.
- Resource mobilization: The network engages the donor community to increase and sustain investments in NTD control and elimination efforts. It believes every donor—a citizen, a corporation, or a government—can make a difference in ending the neglect. It works diligently to match donors with projects wherein their investments can have the greatest impact, and also works with donors new to the global health space by demonstrating how their interests can align with our programs.
- Global coordination: Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the network galvanizes support around a global campaign to control and eliminates the most common diseases of poverty. A central component of the grant and campaign is the formation of regional NTD trust funds and cross-regional working groups, designed to form financing mechanisms to raise and efficiently disburse funds to affected communities.
Through a cost-effective approach, NTD control represents a “best buy” in public health, and—especially in this time of global economic constraint—a key mechanism by which it can achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The Global Network also offers a new model for global health, coordinating the actions of a diverse group of allies and crafting effective strategies that empower countries and affected communities to take a lead role in eliminating these diseases. The Global Network relies on best practices from the private sector to ensure that these strategies are implemented effectively, and that results are measured consistently.
Gates Foundation support
The Global Network is a recipient of two major Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
grants that help shape the goals and direction of its NTD advocacy efforts:
Grant 1: $3.8 million over 3 years (2/2008 - 2/2011)
Objectives:
- Build awareness of NTDs among key influencers, highlighting both the devastating effects of the diseases and effectiveness of the “rapid-impact” approach.
- Strengthen advocacy and resource mobilization capacity of the Global Network and NTD stakeholders
- Provide on-going scientific evidence to continue to establish that NTDs contribute to poverty and negatively impact educational and economic development.
Grant 2: $34 million over 5 years (1/2009 – 1/2014)
Objectives:
- Build three regional financial and grant making platforms, as well as global coordinating mechanisms
- Leverage an additional $200 million toward NTD control and elimination by 2020, treating no less than 230 million individuals over five years.
Political momentum
The Global Network and its members have worked in Washington, D.C. and beyond to generate exciting momentum in the push to establish NTDs as a critical policy issue in global health.Major milestones in NTD policy:
February 2008: U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
announces 5-year, $350 million commitment to fight NTDs in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
July 2008: For the first time ever, NTDs are placed on the agenda at the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan
September 2008: British Department for International Development (DFID) announces a £50 million commitment to control and eliminate guinea worm and a number of other common NTDs.
September 2008: U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
calls Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez
Peter Hotez
Dr. Peter J. Hotez is a scientist, pediatrician, and leading advocate and expert in the fields of global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical disease control. He is President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, headquartered in Washington, DC; and will lead the Sabin vaccine development program...
on stage with him and Gordon Brown at the closing plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. President Clinton highlights the work of the Global Network and recommends that those listening donate to NTD control.
April 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
unveils new Global Health Initiative, which calls for the control and elimination of NTDs as one of four critical global health pillars.
July 2009: Leaders at the G8 Summit in L’Acquilla, Italy state: “We will implement further efforts towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010…We will combine this with actions to: combat TB and Malaria; address the spread of Neglected Tropical Diseases and work towards completing the task of polio eradication.”
July 2009: U.S. President Obama discusses NTDs in his keynote speech in Ghana during his first trip to Africa.
February 2010: The Obama Administration unveils the 2011 United States federal budget
2011 United States federal budget
The 2011 United States federal budget is the United States federal budget to fund government operations for the fiscal year 2011, which is October 2010–September 2011. The budget is the subject of a spending request by President Barack Obama...
and the details of the Global Health Initiative, including a budget of $155 million for NTDs, a 138% increase over the previous year.
NTD Champions
A number of high-profile individuals have generously donated their time, energy, and in some cases money to assist the Global Network in raising the profile of and treating NTDs:Alyssa MilanoAlyssa MilanoAlyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
In June 2007, Alyssa Milano became the Global Network's first ambassador. Milano, an actress and active philanthropist, was introduced to the Global Network through her involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative. Upon hearing a panel discussion on NTDs that included Dr. Peter Hotez (President of the Sabin Vaccine InstituteSabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a non-profit, 501 organization dedicated to reducing needless humansuffering from vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases through prevention and treatment...
) and former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, she pledged to dedicate time, effort and funds to promote advocacy, policy and partnerships in the global fight against NTDs.
Milano's first action as ambassador was to pledge $250,000 to the Global Network. The Global Network and its member organizations used Milano's first-year donation to develop a full-scale implementation program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Myanmar. More specifically, 12 million tablets of DEC, an antiparasitic drug that is part of the rapid-impact package, were purchased to treat 4 million individuals. In 2008, Milano’s second-year donation went toward the purchase of DEC to treat LF in Haiti. Her donation will allow for the treatment of over one-third of Haiti’s entire population.
Sec. Tommy ThompsonTommy ThompsonThomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...
In July 2008, the Global Network announced Tommy G. Thompson as a Global Ambassador. Thompson is the former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and four-term Governor of Wisconsin. Secretary Thompson will represent the NTD community as an advocate on Capitol Hill and as a leader in global health. He will also champion global medical diplomacy as a crucial part of United States foreign and defense policies.In August 2008, Secretary Thompson traveled through Rwanda as part of his first medical diplomacy mission on behalf of the Global Network. There, he had the opportunity to join Rwanda’s Ministry of Health in launching the first-ever national deworming campaign in the Nyaruguru District as part of its Mother/Child Health Week. The event dewormed 3.8 million people for soil-transmitted helminthes and treated 107,000 people for schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
.
Dr. Andy Baldwin
In November 2009, Dr. Andy Baldwin was announced as a Grassroots Ambassador for the Global Network. Dr. Baldwin, a US Navy doctor, humanitarian, and star of The Bachelor: Officer and a GentlemanThe Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman
The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman is the tenth season of ABC reality television series The Bachelor. The show was filmed in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania. The premiere of this season of The Bachelor aired on April 2, 2007...
, will work to raise public awareness of NTDs. Dr. Baldwin will play a key role in the Global Network's signature grassroots project, the Campus Challenge, encouraging students to start fund raising campaigns in the school or community. Dr. Baldwin will also promote medical diplomacy efforts by engaging in NTD prevention and treatment during his humanitarian work. As part of the SOUTHCOM mission which began May 29th, Dr. Baldwin had a special focus on NTDs, which impact over 230 million people in the region.
External links
Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases Press CenterEnd the Neglect Blog