The Caribbean observes World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) advisor on Neglected Infectious Diseases, Ana Lucianez Perez, says several countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean, are making significant progress in addressing leprosy.

She said Chile, Uruguay, most of Central America, and parts of the Caribbean are reporting few or no new cases and moving closer to elimination milestones.

“PAHO and its partners have focused on strengthening early diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance, while also addressing stigma, preventing disability, and reaching Indigenous and other marginalized populations,” Perez said, as the region joins the international community in observing World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day 2026

But she said that while there has been progress, Brazil continues to face a significant burden, reporting more than 100 new cases each year, and accounts for over 90 per cent of cases in the Americas.

“This underscores the need to sustain efforts, improve data quality, and focus interventions where they are most needed,” she said.

The PAHO official said that one of the biggest challenges confronting ministries of health in collecting and managing high-quality data on NTDs is that the diseases mainly affect people living in remote, rural, or underserved areas, where health services and trained personnel are limited.

“Simply reaching these communities can be logistically complex and expensive.

On top of that, access to diagnostics is often limited, surveillance systems may be weak, and data collection can be fragmented.

“All of this leads to underreporting. And when the data aren’t reliable, the true burden of disease stays hidden, making it harder to advocate for the funding and human resources that are really needed.”

PAHO said that every January 30, the world marks NTD, providing a moment to shine a light on a group of preventable and treatable diseases that continue to affect millions of people, particularly those living in conditions of poverty and with limited access to health services.

PAHO estimates that more than 200 million people in the Region of the Americas are affected by one or more NTDs, including Chagas disease, leprosy, leishmaniasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, and others that disproportionately impact vulnerable and underserved populations.

It said that these diseases usually carry a heavy health, social, and economic burden, and often cause lifelong disability, stigma, and hardship.

Perez said improving surveillance and data quality has been central to the most effective approaches to preventing and eventually eliminating NTDs in several countries.

“For example, better monitoring has played a key role in eliminating lymphatic filariasis in parts of the Americas over the past decade. Intense surveillance enables countries to document when transmission has been interrupted, guide mass drug administration, and meet verification requirements.

“Ultimately, this is what enables countries to receive WHO validation for eliminating a disease as a public health problem, meaning the country has reduced transmission to a level where the disease no longer poses a major public health threat.”

She said that in recent years, NTDs have gained greater visibility through various strategies, such as PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions by 2030, including 12 from the NTD group. “This regional push has helped prioritise resources, align national plans, and accelerate progress toward elimination goals for diseases like trachoma, onchocerciasis, human rabies transmitted by dogs, and several others.”

Asked why NTDs are less visible in public health systems and public policy decisions, the PAHO official said that NTDs often cause chronic illness, long-term disability, and stigma rather than immediate death.

“Because of that, they don’t always attract the same attention as more acute or high-profile diseases. Take leprosy, for example. If it isn’t diagnosed and treated early, it can lead to lifelong physical impairments and social exclusion.

“These impacts are devastating for individuals and communities, but they’re not always captured by traditional health indicators, which contributes to NTDs being overlooked in policy discussions.”