40 Comedians Join Campaign Against Tropical Diseases

Approximately 40 comedians have joined the Note-olvides (Don’t Forget) campaign to raise awareness for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to reporting from La Vanguardia.

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of treatable and preventable conditions that affect more than 1 billion people worldwide. These diseases primarily impact the world’s most marginalized and isolated populations, who are often the hardest to reach with medical interventions.

Because NTDs frequently affect the most overlooked communities, they serve to perpetuate cycles of poverty. These conditions can disfigure, disable, or prove fatal, which often keeps children out of school and prevents adults from maintaining employment.

Global Progress in Disease Elimination

Despite the challenges associated with reaching marginalized populations, global health partners and affected countries have made significant progress in eliminating these diseases.

As of December 2025, 58 countries have successfully eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease. Data indicates that 690 million fewer people required interventions against NTDs in 2023 compared to the figures recorded in 2010.

This progress has been supported by substantial contributions from pharmaceutical partners, who donated 30 billion treatments to combat NTDs between 2011 and 2024.

Funding Challenges and Risks to Progress

Recent policy changes in the United States have introduced new challenges to the fight against these diseases. In January 2026, the Trump administration cut funding to the neglected tropical diseases program managed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This funding decision followed a 40-page report released by the administration in September 2025. Such cuts threaten the stability of programs that have previously yielded high success rates in various regions.

The importance of this funding is evident in Mali, where USAID-financed programs helped the country eliminate trachoma in 2023. Trachoma is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis that causes the eyelids to swell and scar.

In severe cases of trachoma, eyelashes can turn inward, leading to continuous raking across the cornea and eventual vision loss. Beyond trachoma, Mali has also been working to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, a disease that causes debilitating swelling of body parts.

NTDs as a Human Rights Issue

The global movement to end NTDs is increasingly framing the fight as a matter of human rights, dignity, and equity. This perspective emphasizes that the neglect of these diseases is a reflection of the marginalization of the people they affect.

This framing has led to diplomatic efforts to elevate the issue on the international stage. Malawi has announced its intention to table a resolution regarding neglected tropical diseases in June 2026 at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC61).

The annual rallying point for this global effort is World NTD Day, observed on January 30, which calls for increased political will, resources, and funding to improve the lives of millions of affected individuals.

• More than 1 billion people are affected by NTDs worldwide.
• 58 countries eliminated at least one NTD by December 2025.
• 30 billion treatments were donated by pharmaceutical partners from 2011 to 2024.
• 690 million fewer people needed NTD interventions in 2023 than in 2010.