Towards universal coverage for preventive chemotherapy for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Guidance for assessing “who is being left behind and why”

Overview

Over 2 billion individuals are at risk for one or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which cause substantial morbidity, and in some cases mortality, worldwide. Five of these diseases – lymphatic flariasis (LF), onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), and blinding trachoma – can be prevented through preventive chemotherapy (PC).

The burden of NTDs is not distributed equitably across or within countries – there are remediable differences in exposure, vulnerability, access to treatment and health outcomes (4–7).

To be able to fulfll the commitments to leaving no one behind, as per the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related World Health Assembly resolutions (10,11), NTD program managers and partners must be better able to monitor differences between subpopulations within a country.

The guidance is therefore designed to (a) make better use of existing/routinely collected data and (b) broaden the available information on who is being missed and why in relation to PC at subnational and national levels.