India bears 42% of global burden of neglected tropical diseases: WHO

India continues to bear the world’s largest burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with 42 per cent of the global population requiring interventions living in the country, more than the entire African continent combined, which accounts for 35 per cent, according to the Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases 2025 released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite this, India also recorded the second-largest reduction globally in the population requiring NTD interventions, signalling steady progress towards disease elimination targets set for 2030.

The WHO report highlighted that diseases such as dengue and lymphatic filariasis (LF) remain major public health challenges in India, with dengue being the single biggest contributor to the country’s disease burden in terms of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), closely followed by LF.

The report, the third in WHO’s monitoring series, presents a global snapshot of progress since the launch of the Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021–2030. It found that worldwide, 1.495 billion people required NTD interventions in 2023—122 million fewer than in 2022, and 32 per cent fewer than the 2010 baseline. The number of people affected by NTDs dropped from 1.9 billion in 1990 to just over 1 billion in 2021.

“Despite multiple challenges, NTD programmes continue to deliver important results, freeing large sectors of populations from these ancient diseases,” said Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, Acting Director, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases at WHO.

The report noted that in 2023, 867 million people were treated for at least one NTD, and by the end of 2024, 19 medicines for NTDs were being donated by 12 manufacturers. WHO also prequalified a new dengue vaccine and several new formulations for NTD treatment.

However, progress remains uneven. The report cited gaps in access to clean water and sanitation, slow progress in reducing vector-borne disease deaths, and a 41 per cent decline in official development assistance for NTD programmes between 2018 and 2023.

Dr Shikha Taneja Malik, Senior Scientific Affairs Manager at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), South Asia, said India and South Asia continue to face an “unacceptably high burden” of dengue, lymphatic filariasis and leprosy, which disproportionately affect women and children.

“DNDi’s clinical trials for visceral leishmaniasis in South Asia show how sustained investment in innovation can transform treatment and policy,” she said. “By identifying safe, effective combination therapies achieving cure rates above 95 per cent, these trials replaced outdated, toxic regimens and informed regional health policies. This shortened treatment durations, reduced resistance risks, made care accessible and demonstrated that strategic research investments go a long way in delivering better health outcomes and advancing disease elimination,” she added.