Neglected tropical diseases elimination in Africa: lessons from regional control programmes

Africa has made notable progress against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) using a whole-of-society approach that involved everyone, though sub-Saharan Africa still faces major challenges. Since the Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) was launched in 2016, over 500 million people have been treated for NTDs like onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiases. Nineteen African countries have eliminated at least one NTD, yet 44 out of 52 tracked nations still need preventive chemotherapy for multiple diseases. In 2022, 81 million people received schistosomiasis treatment, but adult coverage remains low due to limited praziquantel access. This paper documents lessons and success stories from regional initiatives such as the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP), and the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme, including success stories from specific countries in implementing NTDs programmes and other health programmes (vaccine-preventable disease programmes, malaria, and some zoonotic disease programmes) for ESPEN and similar partnerships to guide future improvements in NTD elimination efforts.

Programme reports from the WHO African region on NTDs, and peer-reviewed journals and other published documents were assessed, supplemented by authors' wide experiences to gain insights into NTDs and communicable disease programme implementation across Africa. The manuscript was structured along the WHO health systems building blocks. Success stories were highlighted, lessons learned documented, and recommendations made. Contents were reviewed several times and independently by a small group. The authors' approval was secured before journal submission.

Lessons learned, and recommendations made are beneficial to partners and countries in achieving the 2030 NTDs elimination targets in the African region and beyond. They provide pathways to expanding the structure, direction, and scope of programme implementation for greater impact.