By Janefrancis Ijeoma Duru, PhD
Every year, World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day invites us to confront a quiet truth about health and inequality in Nigeria. These are not diseases that dominate headlines or trend on social media. Yet, in rural villages, riverine communities, informal settlements, and conflict-affected areas, they quietly shape lives, futures, and livelihoods.
Neglected Tropical Diseases are not “neglected” because they are rare. They are neglected because they flourish where attention, investment, and basic services are scarce. And Nigeria’s long journey with them tells a story not only of disease, but of development, resilience, and unfinished business.
Nigeria bears one of the heaviest NTD burdens in Africa. Diseases such as lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths, trachoma, and leprosy continue to affect millions of Nigerians.
Unlike outbreaks that kill swiftly, NTDs disable slowly. They swell limbs, cloud vision, scar skin, and silently erode dignity. They keep adults away from work, children out of school, and families trapped in poverty.
What makes these diseases particularly unjust is who they affect. They overwhelmingly burden farmers, fisherfolk, women, children, and communities without access to clean water, sanitation, or reliable healthcare. Infection is often not a result of personal choice, but of circumstance of where one is born, works, or draws water.
As a health and development advocate, I have seen how these diseases do more than harm bodies. They fracture livelihoods, deepen stigma, and reinforce inequality.
Yet Nigeria’s story is not one of despair. Over the past decade, sustained commitments by government institutions, frontline health workers, community volunteers, and development partners have delivered results once thought impossible. In 2013, Nigeria achieved a historic milestone when it was certified free of Guinea worm disease proof that elimination is achievable even in the most challenging settings.
Since then, further progress has followed. In late 2025, the transmission of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis was interrupted in several states, allowing millions of Nigerians to stop years of mass drug administration. Trachoma prevalence has declined significantly in endemic areas. Entire communities that once depended on annual treatment are now free from routine preventive chemotherapy.
These gains did not happen by chance. They stem from sustained efforts: the Federal Ministry of Health’s strategic plans, integration with WASH initiatives (notably the 2023–2027 NTD-WASH Framework), and strong collaborations with WHO/ESPEN, Sightsavers, END Fund, Carter Center, and others. Community volunteers, the true “health heroes”, have been central, distributing medicines, educating neighbours, and conducting surveillance, often in hard-to-reach areas. In other words, the gains were built through improved disease mapping, large-scale mass drug administration, donated medicines, surveillance, and, most importantly, the tireless work of community health volunteers who reach populations others often overlook.
Despite these achievements, the final stretch of the journey is proving to be the hardest. Funding remains a major concern. Nigeria’s NTD programs continue to rely heavily on donor support even when global health financing is tightening. Domestic funding at the federal and state levels remains uneven, making progress vulnerable to disruption.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene gaps continue to undermine gains. Treating diseases without addressing unsafe water sources and poor sanitation is like mopping a floor while the tap is still running. Reinfection remains a real risk in many endemic communities.
Insecurity in parts of the country has made it difficult for health workers to access hard-to-reach populations, leaving pockets of disease transmission untouched. Weak surveillance and data systems also limit timely decision-making and accurate tracking of progress.
And then there is stigma. Many Nigerians living with NTD-related disabilities like elephantiasis or leprosy suffer quietly, excluded from social and economic life, and reluctant to seek care. Until stigma is addressed, elimination efforts will always face resistance at the community level.
Encouragingly, Nigeria is responding with renewed focus. Strategic frameworks aligned with the World Health Organization’s 2030 NTD Roadmap now emphasize integration — linking disease control with water, sanitation, education, and environmental interventions.
The growing establishment of dedicated NTD budget lines in several states (21 states have established dedicated NTD budget lines) signals increasing domestic ownership. Partnerships with civil society, development agencies, and the private sector have strengthened coordination and accountability. There is clearer recognition that eliminating NTDs is not the responsibility of the health sector alone, but a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort.
If Nigeria is to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2030, commitment must translate into action. Domestic investment must increase, and all states must take ownership of NTD programmes. Water and sanitation infrastructure must be scaled up in endemic communities to break transmission cycles permanently. Surveillance systems must be strengthened so that no community remains invisible. We must invest in digital tools, workforce training, and community-led data collection to detect resurgence early.
We must also go beyond prevention to care for those already affected. Morbidity management, rehabilitation, mental health support, and social inclusion are essential for restoring dignity to people living with NTD-related disabilities.
Above all, communities must remain at the centre of the response, informed, empowered, and respected. When people understand that these diseases are preventable and treatable, participation rises, and stigma fades.
On this World NTD Day, Nigeria’s journey offers both hope and a challenge. We have shown that progress is possible. We have the tools, the partnerships, and the roadmap. But until no child’s education is disrupted by a preventable infection, until no adult is disabled by a disease of poverty, and until no community is left behind because it is hard to reach, our work remains unfinished.
Ending NTDs is more than a health victory; it unlocks economic gains, boosts productivity, and advances equity and sustainable development. I urge every stakeholder – federal and state governments, partners, NGOs, donors, and citizens to unite, act decisively, and eliminate these diseases. Nigeria has proven that elimination is possible. Now, let us finish the race together, ensuring no one is left neglected. The journey continues, but the destination is within reach.
*Dr. Janefrancis Duru, Health and Development Advocate, is the Executive Director (ED), Gender and Development Centre
(janefrancisduru@gmail.com, 08033210968)