Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
This past year has been one of progress and innovation in which the Inclusive Eye Health and Neglected Tropic .Diseases Initiative has been working in some of the most challenging regions of the world.We have recently been gathering some statistics: Between 2017 and 2021 we have supported the administration of 269,434,477 drug treatments, which is a huge number, and one of which we are very proud, particularly given the challenges of the last couple of years. There are many other statistics I could provide, but of particular satisfaction are the 8 million community members who have had health promotion education and the 176,000 health workers who have been trained or retrained in NTD activities in 2021. A smaller figure, but no less significant, are the 10,392 environmental improvements we have enabled in Ethiopia over the past year, by supporting the provision of latrines and fresh water. Of course, numbers, however large or small, do not tell the whole story and do not reveal outcomes and our aim is to ensure that our interventions are sustainable and country-owned.
