Commonwealth leaders are again committed to ending malaria and neglected tropical diseases

The Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) concluded today the heads of state and government of the Commonwealth countries who sign and adopt Kigali Declaration on NTDsand reaffirming its commitment to ending malaria by 2030.

In recent years, Commonwealth countries have committed themselves to reducing the burden of these diseases, which can be largely prevented and treated. In 2018, leaders pledged to halve malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023, eliminate dazzling trachoma by 2020, and fight other mosquito-borne diseases.

Global gains in the fight against malaria and NTD

Global efforts to combat malaria have yielded impressive results. It is estimated that between 2000 and 2020, 10.6 million malaria deaths and 1.7 billion malaria cases were prevented. Twenty-six countries reported less than 100 domestic cases of malaria in 2020, compared to only 6 countries in 2000. Since 2015, 9 countries have reported certified as malaria-free by the WHO Director-General.

Significant progress has also been made in the fight against NTD. Forty-six countries have eliminated at least one NTD, and between 2015 and 2019, more than a billion people were treated each year for one or more NTDs. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of people in need of NTD intervention was reduced by 600 million. Cases of African trypanosomiasis have fallen by 90% over the last 10 years, and in 2021 only 15 cases of guinea worm were reported worldwide, compared to 3.5 million cases in the mid-1980s.

Progress remains off track

However, the global rate of malaria and NTD remains staggering. In 2020 alone, an estimated 627,000 people died from malaria, and 241 million new cases were reported. And despite achieving several important NTD milestones in many countries – including eliminating the transmission of dracunculiasis, onchocerciasis and frescoes, and eliminating human African trypanosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, rabies and trachoma as public health problems – more than 1.7 billion people still required treatment and care. for NTD in 2020.

Progress towards the 2023 malaria target for the Commonwealth countries, as well as the World Health Organization target for 2030. global malaria strategy, remains off track. About half of the world’s population still lacks the services they need to prevent, detect and treat disease. Similarly, the goals set in the WHO
Road map of NTD for 2021-2030 they also face a serious risk due, in part, to disturbances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Added challenges COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries with malaria endemics experienced moderate disruptions in malaria services, and some countries reported delays in the delivery of campaigns with insecticide-treated networks (ITNs). During the first year of the pandemic, disruptions in malaria services contributed to a significant increase in malaria cases (14 million) and at least two-thirds of the additional 69,000 deaths recorded in 2020 compared to 2019.

NTD programs, particularly community interventions, such as chemotherapy prevention campaigns, have been among the hardest and most affected in the full range of health services. The number of people being treated for a neglected tropical disease fell by one-third in 2020 due to health care disruptions caused by the pandemic.

What it takes to achieve global goals

Speaking during the high-level session, together with the Heads of Government of Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhan Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of strengthening primary health care as a foundation for universal health care. coverage and global health security.

“Investing in primary health care will help us fight malaria and NTD in a better way,” Dr. Tedros said. “Primary health care is not just an institution and an institution. It is about community empowerment and engagement, especially with the involvement of young people, ”he added.

Increased domestic funding is key, complemented by the engagement of new partners and donors, more international funding and successful supplementing the Global Fund.

Africa and Asia bear the brunt of both malaria and NTD and, as such, a continent-wide response will be needed to foster political and social commitment and facilitate greater regional coordination and cross-border cooperation between countries. Youth engagement and empowerment are also key to ensuring that the next generation of health practitioners and global health leaders can take the lead in ending the long-term burden of disease.

Science and innovation

Summit participants in Kigali also stressed the need for innovative tools and strategies to combat malaria and NTD. Innovation is needed, for example, to stay ahead of new biological threats such as drug and insecticide resistance and to address growing inequalities and barriers to accessing health services.

Innovative tools should be used by as many people as possible. In October 2021. WHO recommended widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine. If widely introduced, the RTS, S vaccine could save tens of thousands of children’s lives each year. However, production capacities for the malaria vaccine are currently far below demand.

WHO welcomes today statement from GSK to plan to double the production of the adjuvant used in the RTS, S vaccine. GSK also reaffirmed its commitment to the supply of albendazole until lymphatic filariasis and soil-borne helminthiasis are eliminated as public health problems, and announced that donation of this drug will be extended to a third NTD, cystic echinococcosis.

The summit in Kigali also saw a pledge from Novartis invest $ 100 million in research and development to combat several NTDs – including Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and dengue fever, along with cryptosporidiosis – and an additional $ 150 million in next-generation antimalarial drugs and in an optimized infant drug formulation.

These commitments were complemented by promises of $ 1 billion by Pfizer to the International Trachoma Initiative and $ 80 million from the Wellcome Trust for research and development in the treatment of snake bites and additional NTD research.

Renewed efforts and commitments from Member States, partners and all stakeholders globally and locally are needed to ensure that the vision embodied in the WHO Global Malaria Strategy and NTD Roadmap becomes a reality by 2030.