Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) information and resources

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) information and resources

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) - caused by parasites or bacteria - take a tremendous toll on global health. While NTDs such as dengue, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma and leishmaniasis rarely lead to death, they can cause significant disabilities that persist for a lifetime and can reinforce the cycle of poverty among disadvantaged populations.

At NIH, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has robust research programs devoted to better understanding, preventing and treating NTDs. Studies conducted and supported by NIH have led to important new discoveries about the microbes that cause NTDs, the identification of targets for potential new drugs and vaccines, and the development of strategies for controlling the organisms that transmit NTD-causing agents to humans. Read more about NIAID's role in NTD research .

Other NIH Institutes and Centers support NTD research impacting their areas of expertise. For example, research supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) is playing a crucial role in global efforts to eliminate trachoma , a bacterial eye infection that causes blindness in millions of people. Fogarty's Global Infectious Disease (GID) Research Training Program supports NTD research.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NTDs include: buruli ulcers, Chagas disease, cysticercosis, dengue fever, dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), echinococcosis, fascioliasis, human African trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, leprosy (Hansen's disease), lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, rabies, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths (STH) (ascaris, hookworm and whipworm), trachoma and yaws. See a full list of NTDs from the CDC.

For the latest information about NTDs research, see the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases .