2. Background
• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 infections caused
by parasitic worms, protozoa or bacteria.
• NTDs include: Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue and chikungunya,
dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease), echinococcosis, foodborne
trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness),
leishmaniasis, leprosy (Hansen’s disease), lymphatic filariasis,
mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses,
onchocerciasis (river blindness), rabies, scabies and other
ectoparasitoses, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases,
snakebite envenoming, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma, and yaws
and other endemic treponematoses.
3. Background
• They strike the world’s poorest people, living in remote and rural
areas of low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the
Americas, causing life-long disability, disfigurement, reduced
economic productivity and social stigma.
• They disproportionately affect women and children and cause
devastating health, social and economic consequences to more than
one billion people.
4. Prevalence of NTD’s
• WHO estimates that over 1.7 billion of the world’s population should
be targeted by prevention and treatment activities for at least one of
these diseases, every year.
• In addition to significant mortality and morbidity - approximately
200,000 deaths and 19 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs)
lost annually.
• NTDs cost developing communities the equivalent of billions of
United States dollars each year in direct health costs, loss of
productivity and reduced socioeconomic and educational attainment.
5. Prevalence of NTD’s in Uganda
• More than 39 million people in Uganda are at risk for one or more
neglected tropical disease (NTD) especially those in rural areas.
• According to the Sustainability Plan for Neglected Tropical Diseases
Control Program at the Ministry of Health, Uganda recognizes about
18 NTDs of the highest public health importance in the country.
• However, data from the
https://unitingtocombatntds.org/africa/uganda/ website shows that
since 2019, treatment coverage only focused on only 5 NTD’s that
include elephantiasis, blinding trachoma, intestinal worms, bilharzia
and river blindness leaving out the rest.
6. Prevalence of NTD’s in Uganda
• Overall, among those 5 conditions, 15.45 million people received treatment
in 2019, while 9.19 million did not receive any treatment.
• For Elephantiasis, treatment coverage decreased from 80% in 2018 to 78% in
2019.
• Blinding trachoma, treatment coverage decreased from 52% in 2018 to 0% in
2019.
• Intestinal worms, treatment coverage decreased from 67% in 2018 to 45% in
2019.
• Bilharzia, treatment coverage decreased from 62% in 2018 to 61% in 2019.
• River blindness, treatment coverage decreased from 96% 2018 to 77% in
2019.
7. Current situation
• Every Ugandan is at risk for at least one NTD, but poor and rural
communities are most vulnerable.
• The Uganda NTD Control Program (NTDCP) has led tremendous
progress towards World Health Organization (WHO) elimination and
control goals for NTDs.
• With funding from USAID, Uganda has made significant NTD
achievements include eliminating guinea worm, and interrupting the
transmission of onchocerciasis in 31 out of 43 endemic districts.
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and trachoma are two of the most common
NTDs which are projected to be eliminated by 2025
8. Challenges/ gaps
• Lack of funding for and integration of the NTD medicines and supplies
into the mainstream routine MoH supply chain processes at the
national level (push versus pull).
• Poor integration of NTD services into the existing health service
delivery model (facility versus community based), health workers with
low skill levels and who lack equipment to diagnose and manage
NTDs in health facilities.
• Low levels of funding to the NTDCP because of limited use of data to
inform planning and make a case for NTD programme budget support
and evidence-informed advocacy.
9. Challenges/ gaps
• NTD data not fully incorporated into the health management
information system (HMIS), weak surveillance system and inadequate
utilization of NTD data.
• Limited reflection of NTD in the overall health policies and priorities
at national and district levels.
• Inadequate multi-sectoral collaboration and weak coordination
structures for all stakeholders, especially at the district level.
• Inadequate integration of Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI)
considerations into NTD programming in Uganda.
