Today on Capitol Hill, The Congressional Malaria Caucus held a briefing announcing its expansion to include Neglected Tropical Diseases.  The briefing included remarks from Ambassador Mark Green-Managing Director, Malaria No More Policy Center, and Former Ambassador to Tanzania; Kari Stoever – Managing Director, Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases; Christopher King – Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University; and Ambassador Mark Dybul – Office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria and Former US Global AIDS Coordinator. 

The briefing focused on the linkages between both NTDs and Malaria.  Both diseases present challenges, but they also opportunity for joint action.  Even though we here in the U.S. tend to view these diseases as separate areas with their individual levels of funding, the truth is we can use mechanisms designed to deliver malaria tools for NTD interventions as well. 

Maximizing areas that can be used for multiple diseases simply makes practical sense.  Former Ambassador Mark Dybul said echoed these sentiments by pointing to three levels that benefit from integration between NTDs and malaria.  First, it makes sense for Congress and policymakers who want to prove they are serious about global health.  By hitting several diseases, policymakers achieve multiple successes for their programs. Secondly, it makes sense for the people who are afflicted by these diseases.  By creating single focal points for healthcare or using existing channels to distribute resources and tools, it simplifies the process for attaining such care.  Finally, it makes sense for the American taxpayer because we get more out of our limited resources. 

While integration between all diseases, with one stacked upon another may not always make sense, Malaria and NTDs represent an excellent opportunity and example of how we can coordinate our response to health threats around the world

Tonight on Jim Lehrer there will be a piece on Neglected Tropical Diseases and the  focus is on a community-based program to eliminate onchocerciasis (river blindness), one of the seven most common neglected tropical diseases, in Tanzania.  We recently did a blog on this topic. 

This episode is part of a three part segment on health system challenges and successes in Tanzania, titled “Tanzania’s Health Challenges.” The series covers some of the unique ways Tanzania is addressing NTD control, malaria prevention and a shortage of health workers.  To learn more about Neglected Tropical Diseases, check out the Global Network.  To get more information on the Jim Lehrer program, visit the website.