Advancing Research to Improve NTD Treatments in Children by Saschveen Singh

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's deadliest infectious disease, and the leading killer of people with HIV. TB is curable, but it can be difficult to diagnose and tough to treat, especially for increasingly prevalent drug-resistant TB. In 2023, 22,700 people started TB treatment in MSF programs. Understanding the costs and cost-effectiveness associated with TB treatment and innovations, ranging from TB diagnostics and medications to TB care models, can help to plan resource needs and allocate resources effectively. Analyzing financing mechanisms can support developing sustainable funding models for TB control.

This collection spotlights articles by MSF and collaborators to analyze and document the costs of care, particularly diagnostics and medications.

Each year hundreds of thousands of people die from a neglected tropical disease, while many more suffer serious illness or lifelong disability. Yet as we mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day on 30th January 2023, global progress towards eliminating these diseases is threatened by shifting global health priorities and declining investment in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The content collection linked below offers a snapshot of MSF’s work over the past two years on managing some of the most deadly NTDs, finding better tools and models of care for highly affected populations, and advocating for greater access to care and increased global funding. Several authors describe our programs and lessons learned from a decade of treating snakebite victims in sub-Saharan Africa. Two studies evaluate shorter, less toxic treatment for visceral leischmaniasis, while a policy analysis proposes critical steps towards eliminating this horrific disease in East Africa. Last, reports from Sokoto, Nigeria describe the collaborative development of a comprehensive model of care for noma.