Background
Learn about USAID’s results & impact.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Program began in 2006, primarily focusing on five diseases – lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, river blindness, schistosomiasis, and three forms of intestinal worms – that could be controlled or eliminated through community-wide administration of safe and effective medicines.
A hallmark of the program has been the generous donation of billions of dollars in pharmaceuticals from a handful of companies. Their donations of essential drugs have enabled USAID to focus its support on distributing these medicines to communities around the world and evaluating progress toward the elimination of these diseases. To ensure sustainability, USAID also works alongside governments as they integrate NTD priorities into routine planning, service delivery, health financing, and data collection and monitoring processes.
Since 2006, USAID has expanded to support more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. To date, the program has leveraged more than $31.3 billion in donated medicines and provided more than 3.3 billion treatments. As a result of this program, more than 455.2 million people live in communities no longer requiring treatment for lymphatic filariasis and 196.6 million people live in communities no longer requiring treatment for trachoma. Learn more about these results.
What are Neglected Tropical Diseases? See our video below.