Striving to Eliminate NTDs in the WHO African Region (Summary)

After re-evaluating myriad challenges and lessons learned over the years, an unprecedented partnership was established in 2016 to mitigate some of these hurdles, and accelerate the fight against NTDs on the African continent. Against this background, ESPEN was born as a public-private partnership, established by WHO, to assist African countries reduce the burden of NTDs, and work towards their elimination. 

ESPEN coordinates the partnership, stakeholders and work to optimize the value of government and partner investments. The battle towards NTD elimination relies on country ownership, with ESPEN providing operational and technical support to endemic countries. 

ESPEN also mobilizes political, financial and technical resources to accelerate the control and elimination of these diseases, targeting the five most prevalent NTDs in Africa which impose the greatest burden on countries. These are lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis (ONCHO), soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), schistosomiasis (SCH) and trachoma (TRA).