The latest World Health Organization (WHO) ‘pulse survey’,1 conducted in almost 135 countries, shows that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to severely disrupt the delivery of health services – with services for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) disrupted in 44% of countries.
“Community-based interventions such as large-scale treatment programmes are affected in almost 60% of countries. Other activities including community awareness and health education campaigns are affected in 52% of countries,” said Dr Gautam Biswas, Head, Strategic Information and Analytics, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Critical services that involve support for self-care, rehabilitation and psychosocial services, as well as diagnosis, treatment and care, are also being compromised.”
Due to the potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with the delivery of large-scale treatment programmes, other public health approaches for NTDs are also considerably affected. These include vector control, veterinary public health, and water, sanitation and health education activities (in addition to population-based surveys for mapping, monitoring and evaluation).
The delays experienced in diagnosis, treatment and care, and also in manufacture, shipment, transport and delivery of donated medicines, are significant.
Measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19
WHO used a range of measures to tackle the impact of COVID-19 on NTD services.