The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Anesvad Foundation (Bilbao, Spain) have signed a 2-year agreement valued at €1.4 million to support activities on skin-related NTDs (skin NTDs) in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This agreement builds on the previous agreement from 2019 to 2024 to the tune of close to €1 million.
The skin NTD strategic framework , published in June 2022 as a companion document to the WHO road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 , assists endemic countries implement integrated activities in reducing the morbidity, disability and psychosocial impacts of skin NTDs through a people-centred approach. More than half of the 21 NTDs listed by WHO are skin-related.
The purpose of this new agreement is to build on the progress made during the previous agreement and contribute to the achievement of the road map target, namely at least 40 countries adopt and implement integrated skin NTD strategies by 2030.
The activities focus on three strategic areas:
- WHO’s global coordination role to promote the skin NTDs approach
- Procurement of health commodities to support implementation in selected countries
- Operational research, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation
The activities will be implemented by WHO headquarters, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and WHO country offices in the targeted countries, in close collaboration with the relevant national programmes.
The targeted skin NTDs include Buruli ulcer, leprosy, cutaneous leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis (lymphoedema and hydrocele), mycetoma, scabies and yaws.
The beneficiary countries are Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Other countries in the WHO African Region will benefit from the technical and logistical support to strengthen their work on skin NTDs.
“It remains to be seen what the effect of recent political developments will be, but it looks like private actors will have to step up their contribution to global health. A sudden stop in mass drug administration or case-management programmes could have catastrophic consequences for NTDs all around the world. We won’t allow the good work of recent years go to waste”, said Iñigo Lasa, Chief Executive Officer, Anesvad Foundation.
WHO and Anesvad Foundation collaboration started in 2001. Initially focused on Buruli ulcer only, since 2016 the collaboration has extended to cover a larger number of skin NTDs. Today, the Anesvad Foundation is the first organization to support large-scale implementation of the WHO-recommended integrated approach for control and management of skin NTDs. It also supports WHO’s skin NTD global coordination activities.
“WHO is grateful for its 24 years of partnership with the Anesvad Foundation to address neglected tropical diseases that cause immense suffering to the poor”, said Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director, WHO Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme. “This renewed agreement comes at a critical time as we conduct the road map mid-term review (2021−2025) and develop an accelerated implementation plan (2026−2030).”
The Anesvad Foundation is a Non-State Actor in official relations with WHO.
