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Advocacy for identifying certain animal diseases as “neglected”

2017; Public Library of Science; Volume: 11; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1371/journal.pntd.0005843

1935-2735

François Roger, Philippe Solano, Jérémy Bouyer, Vincent Porphyre, David Berthier, Marisa Peyre, Pascal Bonnet,

Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect almost 1,000,000,000 people in 149 countries (http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/).Most are small family farmers living in the least-developed countries where health systems are often inadequate, and climate conditions are favourable to infectious and parasitic diseases.These diseases hinder socioeconomic development, maintain poverty, and impede the achievement of UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) [1].Economic analyses have shown that their control, elimination, or eradication would lead to net economic benefits [2].Rapid progress can be achieved when organised health systems, whether public, private, or mixed, are in place to provide diagnostic methods and facilities, treatments, and vaccines.Of the 18 diseases on WHO's list of NTDs, only 5 are zoonoses: Taenia solium cysticercosis, echinococcosis, leishmaniasis, rabies, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT).Some authors consider this list incomplete and believe that at least 3 other major zoonoses-anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, and brucellosis-should be included [3].Moreover, while some public-private partnerships-e.g., the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines, GALVmed (https://www.galvmed.org/)-nowtarget major livestock diseases impacting smallholders by connecting academia, public research institutes, and the pharmaceutical sector, no strictly animal disease (i.e., nonzoonotic) has been labelled "neglected".Nevertheless, animal diseases directly impact people's livelihoods.Furthermore, due to the multiple functions fulfilled by livestock in rural societies-as sources of food, income, and social status-animal diseases ultimately also impact human health. Observed impacts of labeling zoonotic diseases as "neglected"The authoritative neglected status of the zoonoses on the WHO list of NTDs has allowed huge donations of drugs by pharmaceutical companies and financial donations by governments and philanthropic foundations.It also has facilitated the progress and funding of research, mobilised stakeholders, and helped curb the collapse of expertise.HAT, or sleeping sickness, is a good example.Caused by trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies, HAT can cause death if not treated; there is no vaccine, no chemoprophylaxis, and no treatments that can be massively administered.After being neglected for decades, the growing numbers of victims (300,000 people infected in the early 1990s) and people exposed (60 million in Africa) finally prompted a coordinated response.WHO mobilised senior government officials, donors, research centres, and pharmaceutical companies, which committed to provide WHO drugs free of charge for distribution.Stakeholders reorganised their operations.This mobilisation ultimately reversed the disease's upward trend, and, in 2015, fewer than