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by Abielle Hallas

As we look back on World Leprosy Day (26 January) and ahead to World Neglected Tropical Disease Day (30 January), we call for more global commitment to end to these terrible diseases.

In 2023, 182,815 people were diagnosed with leprosy, although many more were undiagnosed. 1.6 billion people still need healthcare for at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD). That's one in five of us.

These are not conditions of the past. Today, they devastate lives, trap millions in poverty, and stifle economic growth. Global cooperation to eliminate them is more important than ever.

Too high a cost

Many NTDs, including leprosy, lead to permanent disability. For most people, treatment is out of reach. Living in poverty, they can’t afford private treatment or to travel to free clinics. Where health services are available, a lack of awareness means people are often are misdiagnosed.

Many people affected by NTDs face daily stigma and rejection from their communities, or even families. For example, leprosy is still seen as a curse in some places. Globally, there are over 100 laws that discriminate against those with the disease. It sadly isn’t surprising that many experience anxiety or depression, both before and after a diagnosis.

And there’s an economic cost to NTDs too. WHO estimates that, globally, NTDs cost households $33 billion in health expenditure and lost wages. By keeping children out of school and adults out of work, they stymie national growth and trap families in poverty.

“End the epidemics of neglected tropical diseases”

In 2015, governments committed to tackling NTDs through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Countries pledged to:

“By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases”.

It’s an ambitious goal, and we have seen progress. Over the last 10 years, millions of people have got the vital treatment they need. 50 countries have eliminated at least one NTD.

But there’s still a long way to go. Especially for people affected by leprosy. And as we face climate change, economic crises, and conflicts across the world, these gains could easily be reversed.

Unite, act, eliminate

To eliminate leprosy and NTDs, we must make sure people can get the diagnosis and treatment they need.

This is a core part of our work at The Leprosy Mission. We’re training health workers to identify and diagnose leprosy. Our partners are running outreaching and mobile clinics, bringing healthcare into under-served communities. And we’re making sure that women and girls, often disproportionately impacted by NTDs, can get the treatment they need too.

But without more national and international collaboration and commitment to NTDs, people will continue to be under-diagnosed. Treatment will still be out of reach for most. Out of pocket healthcare costs will still push families into poverty.

But we can’t just stop at healthcare. Governments must tackle the poor living conditions that increase vulnerability to NTDs. We need to combat the stigma and discrimination that stops people seeking treatment. And we need more funding for better diagnostic tools and more effective treatments.

At every stage, people affected by NTDs must be at the heart of decision-making. They know the challenges they face, and they know what solutions work. It's encouraging that some governments across the world are working with organisations of people affected by leprosy. Only through more collaboration can we eliminate this disease, and other NTDs, for good.

More than a billion

Despite being preventable and treatable, NTDs still affect more than a billion people. Behind this statistic are lives devastated by ill health, poverty, and rejection.

The global community must scale up commitment to ending these conditions. We cannot achieve a healthier, more prosperous, and fairer world while they persist.