Authored by Himani Bhakuni, João Nunes, Alice Trotter, Ioana Cismas, Claire Jeantet.
Aliyu, a 27-year-old noma survivor, stands next to his home, in a village in Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Neglected Tropical Diseases in context
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held its first ever Health Day on 3 December 2023. On this occasion, a consortium of global donors pledged historic support to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) (WHO News, 2023). A group of twenty-one diseases, NTDs affect preponderantly impoverished communities, have important human rights consequences, and have traditionally received little attention (see for example Hunt et al., 2007; Trotter & Cismas 2020). The COP 28 pledge therefore has a twofold significance. In practical terms, NTDs will benefit from an unprecedented USD$777 million to strengthen research, programming, and front-line health systems. Symbolically, by associating NTDs with climate change – the challenge of our generation – COP28 elevated the salience of addressing NTDs among new audiences.
Continue reading The Politics of Disease Framing: An Agenda of Research