WHO urges billions in fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases

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http://www.dw.de/who-urges-billions-in-fight-against-neglected-tropical-diseases/a-18268172

The WHO is urging billions of dollars in investments to combat neglected tropical diseases such as dengue fever, leprosy and sleeping sickness. Some 1.5 billion people are estimated to be affected by NTDs.

WHO urges billions in fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases
19.02.2015

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report Thursday calling for billions of dollars in investments to fight 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which kill a half a million people globally every year.

Some 1.5 billion people in 149 countries are affected by NTDs such as dengue fever, leprosy and sleeping sickness, according to the WHO. The UN organization forecasted a total of $34 billion needed for the fight against NTDs in the next 16 years.

"Increased investments by national government can alleviate human misery, distribute economic gains more evenly and free masses of people long trapped in poverty," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said.

To better fight NTDs, the WHO called on developing countries to invest $1 per person per year to battle the diseases until 2030, which it says would represent as little as 0.1 percent of current national health spending of the developing countries affected by NTDs.