Neglected Tropical Diseases Remain a Considerable Public Health Challenge in West Africa
1. Neglected Tropical Diseases and the WHO NTD Roadmap
- (a)
- Eradication—a permanent reduction in the worldwide incidence of a specific pathogen to zero, due to deliberate efforts, with no risk of reintroduction;
- (b)
- Elimination (interruption of transmission)—a reduction in the incidence of infection caused by a specific pathogen in a defined geographical area to zero, with a minimal risk of reintroduction, due to deliberate efforts;
- (c)
- Elimination as a public health problem—the achievement of measurable targets set by the WHO in relation to a specific infection/disease [31].
2. NTDs and West Africa
3. The Progress of West African Countries Toward the Goals, Indicators and Targets of the WHO Roadmap
4. Meeting the Challenges in NTD Control and Elimination Through Operational Research
5. This Special Issue on Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Exemplifies How OR Can Be Used to Address Knowledge Gaps and Programmatic Constraints in NTD Control in West Africa
6. Going Forward
Conflicts of Interest
References
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NTD | Goal by 2030 | Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Cote d’Ivoire | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Buruli Ulcer [3] | Control | CE | PU | NE | CE | NE | CE | PU | NE | CE | NE | NE | NE | CE | PU | PU | CE |
2 | Chagas Disease [4,5] | Elimination as a public health problem | No vectorial transmission but an increasing possibility of congenital and blood transfusion-related transmission as a result of human migration. No data. | |||||||||||||||
3 | Chikungunya and Dengue [6,7] | Control (serotypes) | CP CD (ND) | – CD (1, 2, 3) | – CD (1, 3) | CP CD (1, 3) | – – | – CD (ND) | CP CD (ND) | – – | – SD | – CD (1, 3) | – CD (ND) | – SD | CP ND | CP CD (ND) | CP – | – – |
4 | Dracunculiasis [8,9] | Eradication No. of cases reported (2023) | CF 2009 | CF 2011 | 0 | CF 2013 | 0 | CF 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | CF 2009 | CF 2013 | CF 2013 | CF 2004 | 0 | CF 2011 |
5 | Echinococcosis [10] | Control | En | En | SE | En | ND | En | SE | SE | SE | En | En | En | SE | SE | SE | SE |
6 | Foodborne Trematodiases [11] | Control | P | P | ND | FP | ND | ND | P | ND | P | F | ND | F | FP | ND | P | ND |
7 | Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) [9,12,13] | HAT gambiense—the elimination/interruption of transmission No. of new cases reported (2023) | VEP 2022 | 0 | NE | VEP 2020 | 0 | VEP 2023 | 24 | ND | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | VEP 2020 |
HAT rhodesiense—elimination as a public health problem | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE |
NTD | Goal by 2030 | Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Cote d’Ivoire | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Leishmaniasis [14,15] | Visceral—elimination as a public health problem Cutaneous—control | Na Na | Na En | Na Na | En En | PC PC | Na En | Na En | Na En | Na Na | Na En | En En | En En | PC En | En En | Na Na | Na Na |
9 | Leprosy [16] | The elimination/interruption of transmission No. of new cases in individuals <15 years of age (2023) | 7 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 151 | 34 | 10 | 3 |
10 | Lymphatic Filariasis [9,17] | Elimination as a public health problem | US | MD | NE | MD | NE | MD | MD | MD | MD | US | MD | MD | MD | MD | MD | VEP 2017 |
11 | Mycetoma, Chromoblastomycoses and Other Deep Mycoses [18] | Control No. of mycetoma cases (according to the WHO for the latest year available (2019)) | ND | ND | 10–50 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | 51–100 | 101–500 | 101–500 | 10–50 | >500 | ND | 51–100 |
12 | Noma [19] | Only added to the WHO’s list of NTDs in December 2023. | Latest WHO estimates (1998): 140,000 incident cases per year, mainly in children aged 2–6 years and in poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Case fatality rate: 90%. No WHO country data are available. | |||||||||||||||
13 | Onchocerciasis [20,21] | The elimination/interruption of transmission | PR | PR | NE | PR | NE | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | NE | NPR | PR | NPR | PR | PR |
14 | Rabies [22] | Elimination as a public health problem | HR | HR | ND | HR | ND | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR | HR |
NTD | Goal by 2030 | Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Cote d’Ivoire | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | Scabies and Other Ectoparasitoses [23] | Control | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
16 | Schistosomiasis [24] | Elimination as a public health problem | PR | PR | NE | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR | PR |
17 | Snakebite Envenoming [25,26] | Control No. of cases/average incidence per 100,000 people (deaths per year) | 1682/ 14 (ND) | 12,054/ 66 (242) | ND | ND | ND | 11,080/ 45 (ND) | 875/7 (49) | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | 879/9 (ND) | 670/8 (ND) | 3001/44 (54) |
18 | Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases [27] | Elimination as a public health problem | PR | NPR | PR | PR | PR | NPR | PR | PR | PR | NPR | NPR | NPR | PR | PR | PR | PR |
19 | Taeniasis and Cysticercosis [28] | Control | En | En | En | En | SE | En | SE | En | SE | SE | NE | SE | En | En | SE | En |
20 | Trachoma [29] | Elimination as a public health problem | VEP 2023 | KRI | TNI | KRI | VEP 2021 | VEP 2018 | KRI | KRI | TNI | VEP 2023 | TNCE | KRI | KRI | KRI | TNI | VEP 2022 |
21 | Yaws [30] | Eradication | CE | PU | NH | CE | PU | CE | PU | PU | CE | PU | NH | PU | PU | PU | PU | CE |
Progress toward 2030 Targets of WHO NTD Roadmap | Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Cote d’Ivoire | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OVER-ARCHING INDICATORS FOR 2030 TARGET | ||||||||||||||||
No. of endemic NTDs eliminated to date | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
% reduction in people requiring interventions against NTDs (target: 90%) | 14.1 | 79.2 | 16.1 | 12.3 | 60.1 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 28.9 | 11.7 | 36.3 | 40.8 | 21.4 | 13.2 | 62.1 | 6.6 | 17.5 |
% reduction in DALYs * related to NTDs (target: 75%) | 21.5 | 15.8 | −5.7 | 4.6 | 38.7 | 18.4 | −51.6 | 10.5 | 0.6 | 13.0 | 12.7 | −1.8 | 12.3 | 18.2 | 11.8 | 21.2 |
CROSS-CUTTING INDICATORS FOR 2030 TARGET | ||||||||||||||||
Integrated Approaches | ||||||||||||||||
% reduction in no. of deaths from vector-borne NTDs (target: 75%) | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
Integrated treatment coverage index for preventive chemotherapy (target: 75%) | 75 | 82.0 | 59.0 | 58.0 | 1.0 | 63.0 | 62.0 | 45.0 | 72.0 | 86.0 | 3.0 | 56.0 | 46.0 | 20.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 |
Multi-Sectoral Coordination | ||||||||||||||||
Access to at least basic water, sanitation and hygiene in areas endemic for NTDs (target: 100%) | 39.8 | 29.3 | 86.5 | 21.8 | 12.9 | 41.7 | 41.1 | 19.7 | 33.9 | 50.5 | 58.5 | 36.8 | 31.1 | 22.3 | 17.8 | 17.3 |
Proportion of NTDs integrated into national health strategies/plans (target: 75%) | 66.7 | 91.7 | ND | ND | 50.0 | 100 | 100 | ND | 87.5 | 100 | ND | 83.3 | ND | 100 | 66.7 | 88.9 |
Universal Health Coverage | ||||||||||||||||
Proportion of NTDs for which interventions are included in packages of essential services and budgeted (target: 75%) | ND | ND | ND | ND | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ND | ND | 100 | ND | 50.0 | ND | 33.3 | 33.3 | 22.2 |
Proportion of NTDs related to disability with guidelines for management within national health systems (target: 75%) | 25.0 | 88.9 | ND | ND | 33.3 | 100 | 100 | ND | 100 | 100 | ND | 60.0 | ND | 75.0 | 50.0 | 83.3 |
Country Ownership | ||||||||||||||||
Proportion of relevant NTDs on which country reports (target: 75%) | 16.0 | 83.0 | ND | ND | 66.0 | 100 | 33.0 | ND | 100 | 100 | ND | 83.0 | ND | 100 | 100 | 66.0 |
Proportion of NTDs for which country collects and reports data disaggregated by gender (target: 75%) | 16.7 | 8.3 | ND | ND | ND | 100 | 22.2 | ND | 75.0 | 100 | ND | 16.7 | ND | 100 | 33.3 | 33.3 |
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Ramsay, A.; Kamau, E.M. Neglected Tropical Diseases Remain a Considerable Public Health Challenge in West Africa. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10, 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10030077
Ramsay A, Kamau EM. Neglected Tropical Diseases Remain a Considerable Public Health Challenge in West Africa. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2025; 10(3):77. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10030077
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamsay, Andrew, and Edward Mberu Kamau. 2025. "Neglected Tropical Diseases Remain a Considerable Public Health Challenge in West Africa" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 10, no. 3: 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10030077
APA StyleRamsay, A., & Kamau, E. M. (2025). Neglected Tropical Diseases Remain a Considerable Public Health Challenge in West Africa. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 10(3), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10030077