World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026

Message from WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi

Today, as we mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day under the theme Unite, Act, Eliminate, we are reminded that neglected tropical diseases are not inevitable. They persist not because solutions are lacking, but because inequities remain.

More than 1 billion people worldwide still live at risk of NTDs - diseases that are preventable, treatable and, increasingly, within reach of elimination. In Africa, they continue to affect the poorest and most marginalized communities, reinforcing cycles of poverty, disability and stigma, and limiting opportunities across generations.

NTDs are not only a health concern. They are a measure of inequality. They thrive where access to clean water, sanitation, education and basic health services is weakest. They deprive children of learning, adults of productivity, and communities of dignity and development.

Yet, there is real cause for confidence. Across the African Region, countries are demonstrating that elimination is possible when commitment, partnership and community engagement come together. By December 2025, 22 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease. Last year, Niger also became the first country in the African Region verified by WHO for eliminating onchocerciasis, a landmark achievement for the continent.

Strong progress has also been made against trachoma, lymphatic filariasis and other NTDs, while Guinea worm disease is now at its lowest level ever recorded, with a reduction of more than 99.9% in cases since the start of eradication efforts.

These gains matter. They translate into children who can attend school without pain or impairment, adults who can work and support their families, and communities that can focus on growth rather than survival. They show that a future free of NTDs is not a distant aspiration.

At the same time, progress remains uneven, and time is short. The WHO NTD Roadmap 2021-2030 sets out ambitious but achievable targets, including a 90% reduction in the number of people requiring NTD interventions, and the elimination of at least one NTD in 100 countries. With 2030 fast approaching, every year of delay risks slowing momentum and leaving millions behind.

Encouragingly, several countries are on track to reach elimination milestones in 2026 and beyond. Their success, and the success of the Africa Region as a whole, will depend on choices made now: protecting hard-won gains, sustaining domestic investment, strengthening primary health care, and reaching communities that remain underserved because of geography, poverty or fragility.

Ending NTDs requires collective action. Governments, parliamentarians, health workers, community volunteers, civil society, donors, the private sector, youth and people affected by NTDs all have essential roles to play. Progress accelerates when communities are empowered and when national leadership is matched by sustained international partnership.

On this World NTD Day, I call on all partners to:

• Sustain support for countries that have already achieved elimination to ensure that gains are protected.
• Stand with countries approaching elimination in 2026 to ensure success is not delayed.
• Intensify efforts in countries where NTDs still undermine health, dignity and opportunity, leaving no community behind.

We have the tools. We have the evidence. We have a clear roadmap. What is needed now is sustained political will, adequate financing and decisive action.

A future without neglected tropical diseases is a future where equity is real, opportunity is shared, and Africa's full potential can be realised.

Let us act with urgency - not later, not eventually, but now.

Learn more:

• Neglected Tropical Diseases Q&A
• Global Report on neglected tropical diseases 2025.
• African Nations unite to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis and boost cross-border collaboration for NTDs
• Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: A road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021-2030
• WHO verifies Niger as the first country in the African Region to eliminate onchocerciasis