Pledge to Restore U.S. Leadership in the Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases

America must continue its extraordinary, cost-effective leadership in defeating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). NTDs are a group of parasitic, bacterial, viral, and vector-borne illnesses that affect 1.6 billion people worldwide. When they do not kill, these diseases disable, disfigure, and stigmatize their victims, trapping families and communities in cycles of poverty and despair. They are found mostly in the world’s poorest communities, but they are also a growing threat and reality here in the United States.

U.S. investment in NTD prevention and treatment programs – at its height $115 million annually, representing 0.0017% of total U.S. government spending – has been one of the most extraordinary returns on investment in global health, development, and U.S. soft power. It has catalyzed more than $1.1 billion every year in donated medicines from pharmaceutical companies, making it one of the most successful public-private partnerships in global health and the largest private medical donation program in history. Since 2006, bold American leadership and collaboration with international, private, and faith-based partners have enabled more than 600 million people to live free from these devastating diseases. U.S. support has directly contributed to 15 countries eliminating at least one of these diseases, and 8 countries having graduated from U.S. support for NTDs altogether.

The benefits of U.S. NTD programs extend far beyond health. By helping communities eliminate these ancient afflictions, America builds stronger trading partners, supports economic growth in some of the world’s fastest-growing regions, and contributes to stability in places where extremism poses a threat. NTD programs “win hearts and minds” in strategically important countries, projecting American values and strengthening important relationships. They also protect Americans at home, as diseases like dengue fever, Chagas disease, soil-transmitted helminths, and leishmaniasis increasingly threaten our own communities.

Terminating U.S. funding for NTD programs now is a dangerous and costly mistake. Already, donated medicines are expiring while distribution campaigns have been halted. Without renewed support,14 countries projected to eliminate NTDs in the next five years may miss their goals. This would squander previous investment of American taxpayer dollars, waste billions in donated medicines, and hand our geopolitical rivals the opportunity to take credit for a victory built on U.S. leadership.

But with continued commitment for just a few more years, the United States can help deliver one of the most cost-effective global health victories in history: the elimination of multiple NTDs by 2030. This is a rare opportunity to lock in health, economic, and security gains for generations to come and ensure the U.S. gets credit for our leadership to date.Moreover, through continued U.S. investment and leadership, we can strengthen countries’ ability to manage and eliminate these diseases on their own.

Therefore, we call on the U.S. government to immediately restore $115 million in annual funding for NTDs. Doing so would make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous by protecting its own citizens, strengthening global security, securing long-term economic benefits, and helping to lift up the world’s poorest communities.

We pledge our voices to this cause, and urge our leaders to finish the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases.