| Group declares war on neglected tropical diseases | Send to a friend |
| Tuesday, 31 January 2012 23:17 |
|
London.13 pharmaceutical companies, the United States, UK and United Arab Emirates (UAE) governments as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and a host of global health organisations on Monday announced a new push to eliminate or control ten neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the end of the decade. In the largest coordinated effort to combat NTDs, the group announced at an event at the Royal College of Physicians in London that they would sustain or expand existing drug donation programmes to meet demand through 2020 as well as share expertise and compounds to accelerate research and development of new drugs. “This innovative approach must serve as a model for solving other global development challenges and will help millions of people build self-sufficiency and overcome the need for aid,” said Mr Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His foundation announced a five-year, $363 million commitment to support NTD product and operational research.The partners also committed to provide over $785 million to support research and development efforts as well as strengthen drug distribution and implementation programmes. They also pledged to work together to improve the lives of the 1.4 billion people worldwide affected by NTDs. The move follows the announcement on Friday last week by the permanent secretary in the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ms Blandina Nyoni, that Tanzania would extend its attention beyond three mainstream communicable diseases - Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria – to fight five neglected tropical diseases. In Ms Nyoni’s statement, the government cited river blindness, elephantiasis, bilharzia, trachoma and soil-transmitted helminthes as the diseases it would train its guns on. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
