World Day against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on 30 January 2024

Tapeworm diseases and other parasitoses, snakebite poisoning, certain viral infections: The spectrum of spectrum of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is broad. The diseases do not always lead directly to death, but also to disability, disfigurement, inability to work and marginalisation.

The WHO roadmap aims to achieve four overarching global goals by 2030:

• Reduce the number of people requiring treatment for NTDs by 90
• enable at least 100 countries to eliminate at least one NTD
• the eradication of two NTDs (dracunculiasis and frambösia)
• reduce the disability-adjusted life year (DALY), i.e. the time people have to live with NTD-related disabilities.

According to the latest WHO Global Report, there have been many notable successes. However, progress has been slower than expected in particularly hard-hit countries. Persistent risk factors such as poverty, climate change and rapid population growth would prevent these countries from achieving the goals by 2030. Furthermore, the burden of NTDs continues to be distributed extremely unfairly: For example, only 16 countries bear 80 per cent of the total burden.

The Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) contributes with numerous research and capacity-building projects to combating and reducing NTDs and achieving the long-term goal of the WHO roadmap: To control NTDs and eliminate them in the long term. On 30 January, World Day against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), several research groups will be providing information in the historic lecture theatre about what is needed to achieve this.

The following programme items await the guests:

• Three reports from the field research
• An overview of the research on NTDs at the BNITM
• A Q&A session with the researchers (German)
• The opportunity to talk to experts afterwards over snacks and drinks.

The event will take place on:

Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 16:00-18:00

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg.

The participants will be available for interviews. Media representatives should register their participation by 26 January 14:00 at presse@bnitm.de. We look forward to meeting you.

Queries from the media

Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

Press office

Phone +49 40 285380-264, E-Mail: presse@bnitm.de

Background

Almost two billion people worldwide live with the risk of becoming unable to work, blind, disfigured or disabled or dying earlier due to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The poorest people in already poor countries are particularly affected, but sometimes also travellers after their return. NTDs are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. The diseases do not usually lead directly to death, but are often a major burden for those affected, their families and, as a result, for the economic situation in their countries.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) lists 21 neglected tropical diseases: Buruli ulcer, chagas, dengue, chikungunya, dracontiasis, echinococcosis, trematodiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, river blindness, rabies, scabies, schistosomiasis, worm diseases, snakebite poisoning, tapeworm diseases, trachoma, frambösia and noma (cheek gangrene).

About the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

The Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) is Germany's largest institution for research, care and teaching in the field of tropical and emerging infectious diseases. BNITM research has always focussed on global health / One Health and on translation - the transfer of basic research into application. This research approach is also reflected in the five sections of the institute: Pathogen (pathogen) -> Interface (immunology, host/pathogen) -> Patient (clinic) -> Population (epidemiology) -> Implementation (successful establishment of knowledge).

Current thematic priorities are malaria, haemorrhagic fever viruses, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), immunology, epidemiology and the clinic of tropical infections as well as the mechanisms of virus transmission by mosquitoes. For the handling of highly pathogenic viruses and infected insects, the institute has laboratories of the highest biological safety level (BSL4) and a safety insectarium (BSL3). The BNITM's mobile laboratories are available for global outbreak control of highly pathogenic or highly infectious viruses.

The BNITM is the National Reference Centre for the detection of all tropical infectious agents and WHO Collaborating Centre for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses and is a member of the Leibniz Association.

Together with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and the University of Kumasi, the BNITM operates a modern research and training centre in the West African rainforest, which is also available to external working groups. The institute also maintains numerous other collaborations in other African countries such as Gabon, Nigeria, Tanzania and Madagascar.