- The Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government that included 33 former African heads of state issued a statement last week pleading for international solidarity against the UK’s decision to withdraw £150 million in the funding of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- The £150 million funding they said would have delivered over 250 million treatments this year alone.
The Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government that included 33 former African heads of state issued a statement last week pleading for international solidarity against the UK’s decision to withdraw £150 million in the funding of Neglected Tropical Diseases. The £150 million funding they said would have delivered over 250 million treatments this year alone. Former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in a tweet warned that withdrawing neglected tropical disease funding will undermine years of progress toward eliminating #NTDs in Africa. According to sources, 24 out of the 26 countries affected by these aid cuts are in Africa affecting over 200 million of Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) became a global success story, with 43 countries eliminating an NTD. UK funds used to support interventions against visceral leishmaniasis – a fatal disease that affects the spleen and liver (50% of the global burden in East Africa), Guinea worm, blinding trachoma, and elephantiasis. Analysts say that the UK withdrawal from the funding will be a major setback for the poorest communities in Africa.
