May 7, 2021
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson, MP Prime Minister 10 Downing Street London, United Kingdom SW1A 2AA
Dear Prime Minister:
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the members of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) – the largest international scientific organization of experts dedicated to reducing the worldwide burden of tropical infectious diseases and improving global health – we write to ask that you reverse planned cuts to the United Kingdom’s funding for NTDs. The U.K. has been a global leader in the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases in close partnership with the U.S. Leveraging the private sector in one of the largest global public- private partnerships, the U.K. investment has had tremendous impact providing health and improving international relations and stability in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries. The 90% cut in U.K. funding for NTDs would be a major blow to the global effort to combat these debilitating diseases just as significant progress is being made to bring some to the brink of elimination.
NTDs are a group of 20 infectious diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect poor and marginalized populations, and include such debilitating diseases as lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and the potentially blinding eye diseases trachoma and onchocerciasis (river blindness). NTDs thrive in places with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and protection from the carriers of disease, and kill more than 500,000 each year. Children suffer greatly from NTDs, as NTD infection leads to malnutrition, cognitive impairment, stunted growth, and the inability to attend school. Every low-income country is affected by at least five neglected tropical diseases simultaneously, while there are 149 countries and territories affected by at least one NTD.
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Over the past year, COVID-19 has made the successful treatment of these diseases even more challenging, which makes the timing of these reported cuts all the more alarming. The global effort against NTDs cannot withstand a £150 million reduction to just £17 million. The global scientific community was inspired by your leadership as stated in your vision of a Global Britain - the “Global Britain in a Competitive Age” Integrated Review mentions the importance of global health several times, and cites the Spending Review 2020 commitment to health resilience and protecting against preventable diseases.
NTD treatments are low-cost, leverage a significant private sector commitment and are highly-effective, estimated to be £26 of donated drugs for every £1 donated, Data has shown that a missed treatment year can set back a program 3 years, meaning the valuable investment made by the U.K. would be wasted. Continued U.K. NTD investments, ideally at the £220 million level announced in 2019 by the then- Department for International Development, would save and improve millions of lives. It would also strengthen economies in countries where NTDs are common, opening up new possibilities for U.K. businesses.
NTD treatments are pound-for-pound some of the smartest investments in international development. Since 2006 alone, 315 million people no longer require treatment for lymphatic filariasis, 151 million people no longer require treatment for trachoma, and 10 million people no longer requiring treatment for onchocerciasis because of aid provided by the U.K., U.S. and their partners. Eleven countries have eliminated at least one NTD entirely and, over the next five years, 15 additional countries are slated to eliminate an NTD.
Cuts as drastic as the ones the U.K. is making put these gains in peril and will leave donated pharmaceuticals to treat the diseases stranded before ever reaching their intended destination and populations. There is little hope that other countries or programs will be able to step in to cover a gap of this magnitude in this historically underfunded area, resulting in wasting these valuable donations and setting programs back years.
NTD aid is being leveraged successfully and we cannot stop combatting these diseases now. As such, we request that you maintain U.K. funding for NTDs. U.K. leadership in funding NTDs is critical.
Please contact us if you have any questions. We stand ready to be a resource and we hope to work with you and the U.K. government going forward, especially in the run-up to the June G7 Summit.
Sincerely,
Julie Jacobson, MD, DTM&H Karen A Goraleski President, ASTMH CEO, ASTMH
cc: The Rt Hon. Dominic Raab, MP Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs