63 Countries Eliminate a Neglected Tropical Disease
Fewer people now need treatment for these diseases, but WHO warns that funding cuts could undo recent gains.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Diseases — General
The World Health Organization reported that 63 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD) by June 2026, up from 42 at the end of 2020. The findings come from the WHO's midterm assessment of progress on the 2021-2030 NTD road map, which covers diseases that disproportionately affect low-income populations worldwide.
Why it matters
The gains show that elimination is achievable for diseases that have long received little attention, but the report warns that progress is fragile. Abrupt cuts in donor support have disrupted mass treatment, case management, surveillance and vector control, putting the 2030 targets at risk.
This is a midterm progress assessment drawing on country-reported elimination status and program indicators. Its figures describe the aggregate global picture, and the report notes that deaths from vector-borne NTDs have risen and that dengue cases reached a record 15.1 million in 2024.
The players
World Health Organization (WHO)
The United Nations agency that coordinates global public health and sets the international strategy against neglected tropical diseases through its 2021-2030 road map.
The details
Countries are mainstreaming NTDs into national health strategies, essential service packages and domestic budgets, and several diseases are being addressed through shared service delivery to improve efficiency. Mass drug treatment, case management, disease surveillance and vector control, such as controlling the insects that carry dengue, are the core tools behind the declines. The report identifies abrupt reductions in donor support as the main threat, because these programs depend on sustained external funding. Development assistance for NTDs is also concentrated among a small number of donors, who accounted for nearly 80% of the total between 2018 and 2024, and resources remain 30% below pre-COVID-19 levels.
Timeline
1999: Baseline year for the 98% decline in sleeping sickness cases.
2010: Baseline year for the 36% decline in people requiring NTD interventions.
2018-2024: Period in which a small number of donors accounted for nearly 80% of NTD development assistance.
2024: Number of people requiring NTD interventions fell to 1.41 billion; dengue cases reached a record 15.1 million.
2025: Guinea worm disease fell to a record low of 10 human cases, and three disease-specific indicators met their milestones.
Health Landscape
The WHO 2021-2030 NTD road map sets the global targets against which this midterm assessment measures progress, with five years remaining. The report's findings show that population-level declines in NTDs can be sustained, but only if funding and program delivery keep pace with the remaining goals.
For people living in areas where these diseases are common, the report signals that prevention and treatment programs may be stretched by funding cuts. Anyone with symptoms that could match an NTD, especially after travel to an endemic region, should raise the possibility with a clinician.
The takeaway
Global progress against neglected tropical diseases is real, but it depends on sustained funding and program delivery over the next five years. If you have unexplained symptoms after travel to a region where these diseases are common, discuss them with your physician.
Further reading
Explore more on Diseases — General to see how these conditions are tracked and treated.
