Communities Rally to Confront Stigma and Mental Health Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
On World NTD Day, WHO urges integration of mental health care as funding cuts threaten hard-won global gains.
Geneva:
As the world marks World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that millions of people affected by NTDs continue to endure deep and often invisible suffering driven by stigma, discrimination and untreated mental health conditions.
Under the global theme “Unite. Act. Eliminate.”, WHO and its partners are calling on governments and donors to place mental health and social inclusion at the centre of NTD elimination efforts, stressing that disease control alone is not enough if people are left isolated, ashamed or excluded from their communities.
More than 1 billion people worldwide live with NTDs, while a similar number experience mental health conditions. Individuals affected by NTDs that cause physical impairments or visible disfigurement — including leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, mycetoma, and noma — face some of the highest levels of stigma and discrimination.
Stigma deepens suffering
Misconceptions about contagion and infection continue to fuel fear and exclusion, often preventing people from seeking care, education or employment. According to WHO, people living with chronic NTDs experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal behaviour than both the general population and those with other chronic illnesses.
Despite this elevated risk, mental health care remains largely absent from NTD programmes, leaving many affected individuals without the support they need.
“The fight against neglected tropical diseases is not only a fight against pathogens — it’s a fight against the profound human suffering they cause,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“True elimination means freeing people not only from the disease, but from the shame, isolation and despair that too often accompany it.”
WHO launches first global guide on mental health and stigma
To address this critical gap, WHO has launched its first global guide on the Essential Care Package (ECP) to tackle mental health conditions and stigma among people living with NTDs.
The guide provides practical, evidence-based recommendations for health leaders and programme managers, including:
- promoting good mental health and psychosocial wellbeing;
- identifying and assessing mental health conditions among people affected by NTDs;
- managing and treating mental health conditions within health systems; and
- reducing stigma at individual, community and health-system levels.
WHO says the guide is designed to help countries integrate mental health services into existing NTD programmes, ensuring care is accessible, respectful and community-centred.
Progress under threat as funding declines
World NTD Day also highlights both the remarkable progress achieved and the growing risks ahead. Over the past decade, coordinated global action has reduced the number of people requiring NTD interventions to a historic low of 1.4 billion, alongside sharp declines in illness and death.
To date, 58 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, placing the world on a strong trajectory toward WHO’s target of 100 countries by 2030. Countries ranging from Brazil and Jordan to Niger and Fiji have shown that elimination is achievable with sustained commitment and investment.
However, WHO’s Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases 2025 warns that this progress is fragile. Official development assistance for NTDs fell by 41% between 2018 and 2023, raising fears that gains could be reversed.
The funding decline comes despite compelling economic evidence: every US$1 invested in preventive chemotherapy for NTDs generates an estimated US$25 return. Without renewed action, NTDs will continue to drain lives and livelihoods, costing affected families and communities an estimated US$33 billion each year in lost income and out-of-pocket expenses.
A call to unite, act and eliminate
WHO and partners say World NTD Day 2026 is a decisive moment to protect past gains, mobilize new funding, accelerate innovation and integrate health services, including mental health care, into NTD responses.
The global campaign invites governments, donors and communities to learn from stories of resilience and country-led success featured on the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026 platform — and to recommit to a future where no one is left behind due to disease, stigma or neglect.
As WHO emphasizes, eliminating NTDs is not only about ending infection, but about restoring dignity, inclusion and hope for millions worldwide.
