Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) stressed the importance of including tropical diseases on the international health agenda to eradicate them.
On the occasion of World Day for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), the agency noted on its official Facebook page that these conditions are widespread in the world’s poorest regions, where water safety, sanitation, and access to health care are far from optimal.
“Caused by various pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins, NTDs affect more than one billion people, yet they are almost absent from the global health agenda, receive little funding, and are associated with stigma and social exclusion,” MINSAP warned.
The note added that this day is dedicated to raising awareness of the devastating impact of these diseases, and this year, under the slogan “Act now, act together”, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for investment in the fight against these conditions.
Among the NTDs are dengue, chikungunya, leprosy, rabies, scabies, foodborne trematodes, snakebite poisoning, echinococcosis dracunculiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, chromoblastomycosis, and other deep mycoses.
In 2021, the WHO recognized January 30 as World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day.
