Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases is an advocacy initiative that grew out of the Sabin Vaccine Institute to build political will, public awareness, and funding for the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases. It was established in 2006 and launched publicly at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, where former President Bill Clinton described it as the first global effort to address neglected tropical diseases through an integrated framework, and it is based in Washington, D.C. under leadership that has included Peter Hotez, Ciro de Quadros, and Neeraj Mistry. The network concentrates its advocacy on seven diseases, roundworm, whipworm, hookworm, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and river blindness, that together account for about ninety percent of the global neglected tropical disease burden affecting an estimated one point four billion people living in extreme poverty across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. It works with the World Health Organization and partner organizations to support the delivery of low-cost, often donated, medication packages to affected populations rather than delivering treatment directly itself.