(Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – EMBARGO 0900 GMT February 10 2019):  African countries with modest national incomes are outperforming some richer nations on the continent in the fight against diseases of poverty known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to a new league table ranking.

NTDs such as blinding trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness, or intestinal worms that can stunt growth in children, are endemic in poor communities without access to clean water and with inadequate sewerage systems. The diseases affect 1.6 billion people worldwide – that’s one in five on the planet – including over 600 million people in Africa. 

A ‘league table’ is being drawn up showing how African countries are faring in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs rarely make headline news, yet they affect 1.6 billion people in the poorest parts of the globe – including around 580 million people in Africa. That’s close to 50% of the entire population of Africa.