Global Health Impact: A Model to Alleviate the Burden and Expand Access to Treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) receive relatively little research and development but have a tremendous impact on lifespan and livelihood. Here, we use existing data on the need for drugs, their efficacy, and their treatment percentages to estimate the impacts of various regimens on the global burden of several NTDs: schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and three soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) over time. For an interactive visualization of our models' results, see https://www.global-health-impact.org/. In 2015, our NTD models estimate that treatment averted 2,778,131.78 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Together, treatments targeting STHs together averted 51.05% of the DALYs averted from all NTD treatments, whereas schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and onchocerciasis medicines averted 40.21%, 7.56%, and 1.18%, respectively. Our models highlight the importance of focusing not just on the burden of these diseases but also on their alleviation in the effort to expand access to treatment.