YEARS OF 

PROGRESS

U.S. Agency for International Development

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES PROGRAM
Overview

In 2006, President George W. Bush launched a Presidential Initiative to combat neglected 

tropical diseases (NTDs). The U.S. Congress demonstrated support for the control of 

NTDs through a $15 million earmark, implemented by the U.S. Agency for International 

Development (USAID), with a specific focus on seven of the most prevalent NTDs: 

lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and 3 soil-transmitted 

helminths (hookworm, roundworm, whipworm). USAID’s NTD Program initially 

focused on five countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Uganda. Over the 

past ten years, the program has expanded to support 31 countries in Africa, Asia 

and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Worldwide, more than 1 billion people, 

...or one in seven

suffer from one or more painful, debilitating NTDs. These diseases disproportionately 

impact poor and rural populations, cause severe sickness and disability, compromise 

mental and physical development, and contribute to childhood malnutrition.

THE DISEASES

Lymphatic filariasis Trachoma Onchocerciasis Schistosomiasis

Every

$1 invested

by the US

Government Leverages

$26

in donated

medicines

Every

$1 invested

by the US

Government Leverages

$26

in donated

medicines
10 YEARS 

OF PROGRESS

We are charting a new course for people, families, and communities, making it 

possible to imagine a future free from these diseases. As a result of the support 

provided by USAID, 140 million people now live in areas where they are no 

longer at risk of acquiring lymphatic filariasis, a painful and profoundly disfiguring 

parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes. 

Trachoma is the leading infectious 

cause of preventable blindness. 

Today, thanks to USAID-supported 

interventions, 65 million people live in 

areas where trachoma is no longer a 

public health problem.

Preventing and controlling NTDs is 

central to ending extreme poverty 

in the next two decades. Investments 

in global health, like USAID’s NTD 

Program, target the symptoms of 

and pathways out of poverty, as well 

as provide valuable assistance for our 

Moreover, these investments promote

the rise of capable partners who can 

partners to effectively deliver services. 

 social and economic progress and support 

help solve regional and global problems.

Over the past decade, USAID and partners have delivered over 

1.6 BILLION TREATMENTS

TO OVER 

743 MILLION PEOPLE

1 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS

Soil-transmitted helminths

(hookworm, roundworm, 

whipworm)
To date, the 

USAID NTD 

Program has:

Supported 33 countries

Mapped 2,570 districts 

for NTDs

Leveraged over 

$11.1 billion 

in donated drugs

Supported training for 

3.6 million individuals 

Contributed to the 

delivery of over 

1.6 billion treatments to 

over 743 million people

By 2020....

70% of USAID supported 

countries are on track 

to stop treatment for 

lymphatic filariasis 

and trachoma

USAID support is a 

combination of mapping, mass 

drug administration and impact 

evaluation for multiple diseases

USAID support primarily 

focuses on assistance in 

evaluation and documenting 

progress towards elimination

USAID provides support 

through a regional program

Burkina Faso

By 2016, USAID supported 

over 13,000 trichiasis surgeries 

in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and 

Ethiopia, preventing further vision 

loss from blinding trachoma.

OEPA

Colombia, Ecuador, 

Guatemala and Mexico

have been verified as 

onchocerciasis free.

OEPA

The Onchocerciasis 

Elimination Program for 

the Americas provides 

Ivermectin and child survival 

interventions to hard to 

reach communities.

2 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS
WHERE WE WORK

Ethiopia

35 million people in the Oromia 

and Tigray regions of Ethiopia 

are benefiting from the full 

SAFE strategy thanks to strong 

coordination among USAID, 

DFID, other donors and partners.

3 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS

Togo

Is the first country in 

sub-saharan Africa to 

stop treatment for 

lymphatic filariasis.

Ghana

has successfully 

stopped treatment 

for trachoma and 

is in the process 

of documenting 

elimination of 

trachoma as a public 

health problem, with 

3.6 million people 

no longer needing 

treatment.

By the end of 2017, 

100% of people living in 

trachoma-endemic areas in 

Cameroon will no longer 

be at-risk for the blinding 

disease, due to successful 

interventions.

India

Clinical trial in Kerala is 

evaluating a six week 

course of doxycycline to 

treat moderate filarial 

lymphedema.

Laos

will submit its dossier in 2017 to the 

World Health Organization for official 

validation of elimination of trachoma 

as a public health problem.

CDC and the 

Bangladesh

MOH are designing a 

sustainable surveillance 

system to ensure that 

LF doesn’t return.

Cambodia

In 2016, WHO verified the 

elimination of LF as a public 

health problem in Cambodia.

Uganda

Since efforts began to control 

onchocerciasis in the 1960s, 3.4 

million people are no longer at risk.

Improved mapping in low prevalence settings reveals that 

19 million people do not require treatment, saving an 

estimated $320 million in drug and distribution costs 

over 7 years in Tanzania.
63¢

per

person

HIGH

IMPACT

LOW

COST

29¢ per treatment

Every

$1 invested

by the US

Government 

4 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS

10 YEARS OF

ACHIEVEMENTS

2006

U.S. Congress launches 

USAID NTD Program

with $15 million,

President George W. Bush 

establishes the Neglected 

Tropical Disease Control Program

Value of Drugs

(Cumulative Value of Drugs)

USAID Annual 

Budget ($) in millions $15

2006

Number of 

Treatments 

Delivered

(Cumulative)

Number of countries 5 8 12 17 25 

2007

A Turning Point: First Global 

Partners Meeting on NTDs 

held at WHO headquarters 

in Geneva, April 2007

2008

President George W. Bush affi rms commitment 

to combat NTDs around the world. 

The United Kingdom Department for 

International Development (DFID) commits 

£50 million pounds to fi ght NTDs.

USAID 

supports fi rst 

5 countries:

• Burkina Faso

• Ghana

• Mali

• Niger

• Uganda

$404 

million

$15

2007

36.8

million

treatments

$911 

million

$15

2008

94.9

million

2009

President 

Barack Obama 

affi rms, 

“We will fi ght 

neglected 

tropical 

diseases”

$1.5

billion

$25

2009

225.5

million

2010

$2.2

billion

$65

2010

386.2

million

2011

DFID commits 

£195 million

pounds to NTDs.

The World 

Health 

Organization 

releases the 

Roadmap, 

setting targets 

for 2020

$3.1

billion

$77

2011

594.4

million

2012

The 2012 Londo

Declaration o

NTDs united 

a broad range 

of partner

committed to 

eliminating NTD

Ground breakin

Global Trachom

Mapping Projec

(GTMP) launched

$4.2

billion

USAID and

DFID partnership

begins in Nigeri

$89

2012

838.7

million
2 2

m

D

n 

n 

d 

e 

rs 

o 

s.

g 

a 

ct

d

d

p

a

2

63¢

per

person

HIGH

IMPACT

LOW

COST

Every

$1 invested

by the US

Government Leverages

$26

in donated

medicines

Leverages

$26

in donated

medicines

26 31 31 31 31

5 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS

 2013

50

million

people no longer 

require treatment 

for lymphatic 

fi lariasis in 

USAID-supported 

countries

Countries sign 

the Addis Ababa 

Commitment on 

domestic fi nancing 

for NTDs

$6.7

billion

Colombia 

becomes

fi rst country

in the world

to eliminate 

onchocerciasis

$85

2013

billion

1.1

treatments

 1 billionth

treatment delivered

2014

45

million

people no longer 

require treatment 

for trachoma in 

USAID-supported 

countries

$8.8

billion

USAID joined the 

Coalition for 

Operational Research 

on NTDs (COR-NTD)

USAID begins to 

invest in high-quality 

treatment and care to 

address the morbidity, 

disability and 

disfi gurement 

associated with 

lymphatic fi lariasis 

and trachoma.

$100

2014

1.3

billion

2015

$11.1

billion

UN General 

Assembly adopts 

the Sustainable 

Development Goals, 

a global framework 

that includes NTDs 

as a priority global 

health goal.

The World Health 

Organization releases 

the 3rd report:

Investing to overcome 

the global impact 

of neglected 

tropical diseases

$100

2015

billion

1.6

treatments

USAID and partners 

celebrate 10th anniversary 

of USAID NTD Program 2016

140

million

 no longer 

at risk for 

lymphatic 

fi lariasis

Over 13,000 eyelid 

surgeries were carried out 

in Burkina Faso, Cameroon 

and Ethiopia, preventing 

further suffering 

and vision loss from 

blinding trachoma

65

million

no longer 

at risk for 

trachoma

USAID

supports launch 

of ESPEN Trust

$100

2016

Thanks

to generous

donations fro

pharmaceutical

partners, USAI

has lev

$11.

er

1

aged

billion

in donated

drugs over

the last

decade

2 billion 

treatments
WHAT WE DO: A SNAPSHOT

To accelerate progress towards the World Health Organization 2020 

control and elimination goals, the USAID NTD program invests 

the greatest portion of its funding in the following three areas: 

• Mapping the diseases across each country, showing exactly

which areas require treatment

• Supporting the planning, logistics, community awareness

and actual administration of medicines to at-risk communities

• Conducting testing, using World Health Organization guidelines,

to measure the impact of treatment programs, determining

whether diseases are being controlled or eliminated as public health problems

Additionally, USAID targets some of its support

to three areas that are critical in the global fi ght against NTDs:

• Developing training tools and best practices for

managing or correcting disability associated with

trichiasis, lymphedema and hydrocele

• Conducting operational research to remove

barriers to NTD program implementation

• Strategically investing in the development of

diagnostics, tools, and drugs that will accelerate

progress towards achieving the WHO 2020 goals

for elimination and control

Additionally, 

to three areas that are critical in the global fi ght against NTDs:

6 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS
AN UNPRECEDENTED

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

Every

$1 invested

by the US

Government

 

Leverages

$26

in donated

medicines

29¢

per

treatment

63¢

per

person

HIGH

IMPACT

LOW

COST

63¢

per

person

HIGH

IMPACT

LOW

COST

The USAID NTD Program represents an unprecedented public-private partnership 

in global health, thanks to generous drug donations from pharmaceutical partners. 

Over the past ten years, USAID has leveraged over $11.1 billion in donated drugs. 

OUR PHARMACEUTICAL PARTNERS

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29¢

per

treatment

RANGE OF PARTNERSHIPS

The success of the USAID NTD Program The Program’s key partners include:

depends on a wide range of partners • Bilateral/Multilateral agencies

at national, regional and global levels 

• Foundations supporting national NTD programs to 

access and distribute donated drugs • Implementing partners

through community and school-based • Ministries of Health and Education

platforms. • Nongovernmental organizations

• Pharmaceutical companies

• Private sector partners

• U.S. Government agencies

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES 7 10 YEARS OF PROGRESS
ACHIEVING THE

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION 

2020 GOALS

USAID remains committed to the 

global fight against NTDs 

To help close the remaining gaps, USAID will expand 

existing partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, 

the government of the United Kingdom, and private 

philanthropy, while exploring ways to work more 

systematically with the education, nutrition, and water, 

sanitation and hygiene sectors to create sustainable 

programs after 2020.

Over the next 5 years, USAID will support 1.3 billion 

treatments, made possible with $6 billion additionally 

in donated drugs. As a result, by 2020, 400 million 

people will live in communities that no longer require 

treatment for lymphatic filariasis and 186 million people 

will not need treatment for trachoma. 70% of USAID 

supported countries are on track to stop treatment for 

lymphatic filariasis and trachoma by 2020.

Vision for a Trachoma Free Africa

Trachoma is a disease of communities at the end 

of the road. People in these communities are the 

poorest of the poor, lacking access to clean water and 

sanitation. Nearly two million people are estimated to 

have trichiasis, the end stage of the disease, in which 

eyelashes scratch the cornea, causing gradual blindness. 

These individuals are going blind right now, and are 

in need of urgent surgery to relieve pain and prevent 

further vision loss. USAID is joining with The Conrad 

N. Hilton Foundation, The Queen Elizabeth Diamond 

Jubilee Trust, the UK Department for International 

Development and Pfizer to fill remaining treatment 

gaps and provide surgeries to return the gift of sight to 

nearly one and a half million people in seven countries 

— Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania 

and Uganda, 70 percent of the trichiasis cases in Africa.

8 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

10 YEARS OF PROGRESS
U.S. Agency for International 

Development and UK Department for 

International Development (DFID) 

2020 Partnership

USAID and DFID, the two largest donors supporting 

the implementation of NTD programs in Africa, 

Asia and Latin America, will deepen and expand 

their partnership in over 30 countries to achieve 

WHO’s 2020 goals for lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, 

onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil transmittedhelminths. Collaboration allows for geographic 

diversity, broader reach in large countries and allows 

all seven diseases to be covered. These donors will 

also strategically expand the NTD operations research 

agenda to address gender, social science and economic 

impact issues, and will expand support for African 

research institutions.

Amplifying Impact through 

Cross-Sectoral Collaboration 

Treating NTDs improves health, and accelerates 

progress across many other areas of development, 

giving toddlers a chance to thrive and preparing 

young children to learn in school. To strengthen these 

opportunities, USAID is now working across its own 

NTD, Education, Nutrition, and WASH sectors as 

well as with the private sector to find ways to help 

countries build sustainable deworming programs so 

that generations of children will have a better chance 

for healthy and productive lives. 

...AND ACCELERATING THE

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Charting a new course for 

people, families and communities 

making it possible to imagine a future 

free from disease

www.neglecteddiseases.gov

Photos courtesy of 

CDC, FHI 360, HKI, IMA World Health,

OEPA, PAHO, RTI International and USAID.