Lessons on Neglected Tropical Diseases for World NTD Day
02/01/2021
January 30th marked the second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day, raising awareness around a set of 20 illnesses that affect one in five people around the world. Despite their widespread prevalence, these diseases rarely make headlines. As their name suggests, neglected tropical diseases often occur in tropical and subtropical countries and their diagnosis, treatment, and eradication are neglected in one way or another.
These illnesses can be found worldwide, including in Canada, and they disproportionately impact those living in poverty and who have limited access to health care. Alison Krentel, PhD, and Maneesh Philip, MSc, lead the Canadian Network of Neglected Tropical Diseases steering committee and spoke with the Public Health Insight podcast about what NTDs are, how they affect people, challenges in eradication efforts, and lessons from their careers in the field.
Alison Krentel, PhD, has been a researcher and consultant in public health for over twenty years, working in over 14 countries. Her research interests include facilitating community engagement, the use of implementation research to support health systems, and the translation of research results into programmatic action for effectiveness and equity.
As she addresses in Episode 50, there are a host of challenges in getting communities on board to implement even quick and simple treatment regimes, painting a picture of the level of collaboration it takes to deliver care to an entire community.