InfoNTD

📢 October Newsletter Alert!    This month’s newsletter celebrates inspiring milestones in the global effort to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Discover how India, Pakistan, and Vietnam have eliminated trachoma, Brazil and Timor-Leste have ended lymphatic filariasis, and Jordan has become the first country verified by WHO for leprosy elimination. Below, you’ll find a selection of valuable resources from this issue.  Practical Materials:  1. E-learning infoNTD courses on Reactions in Leprosy and Post-exposure Chemoprophylaxis for Leprosy - SDR-PEP.  2. @WHO online course on WASH FIT focused on enhancing the quality of care through better water and sanitation practices.   3. @WHO guideline on community engagement in guideline development, focusing on inclusive participation.  4. A guideline from the NNN Wash Working Group on social and behavior change in NTD programs.  5. @WHO educational video on Science in 5 – Snakebites offering life-saving facts on prevention, first aid, and the importance of timely medical treatment. Featured Publications:  1. A research article by Gottfrois et al. (2024) on the potential of AI to improve treatment accessibility through teledermatology, collecting and open-sourcing skin disease images from Sub-Saharan Africa through the PASSION project.  2. A scoping review by Barnowska EJ et al. (2024) on the use of digital health tools in diagnosing skin NTDs.  3. A report by @WHO on the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: Progress Report, 2023  4. A research article by Zoma, V (2024) on control and awareness strategies for NTDs in Burkina Faso.    News and Events:   1. A webinar on USAID’s Ending Neglected Diseases through Operational Research Program, providing insights into the new COR-NTD & USAID partnership. Join on November 4, 2024, at 15:00 CEST.  2. A webinar titled Demystifying Systems Strengthening in WASH, taking place on November 12, 2024, at 14:00 CEST. Explore these resources and stay informed about the latest developments in NTDs. Check the comments for the October newsletter link! #GlobalHealth #NTDs #Leprosy #PublicHealth #CommunityEngagement #Research #BeatNTDs  

Today, we recognize the invaluable contributions of occupational therapists worldwide, whose work supports individuals of all abilities to live fulfilling lives. The theme, "Occupational Therapy for All", resonates strongly within the field of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), where disability and stigma can profoundly impact affected individuals' daily lives. NTDs like leprosy can lead to disabilities that affect people’s mobility, self-care, and participation in family and community life. For individuals living with NTDs, occupational therapy is a lifeline, enabling them to develop essential skills, adapt to their environments, and foster independence and dignity in all aspects of life. Occupational therapists play a key role in: 🏠 Supporting daily life adaptations to improve independence  🤲 Facilitating physical rehabilitation for improved function and mobility  🧠 Promoting mental well-being, helping individuals regain confidence On this day, let us reaffirm our commitment to ensuring accessible occupational therapy services for all, especially for those facing the double burden of disability and stigma due to NTDs. Together, we can create a world where everyone can participate fully and meaningfully in life regardless of physical ability. #WorldOTDay2024 #OccupationalTherapyForAll #NTDs #DisabilityInclusion #Leprosy #NeglectedTropicalDiseases #InclusionMatters 

On World Sight Day 2024, the theme 'Children, love your eyes' highlights the critical importance of protecting children's vision, and the need for preventative measures and access to essential eye care services for all. For millions affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) like leprosy, trachoma, and onchocerciasis (river blindness), this is a harsh reality. It’s crucial to recognize how these diseases lead to loss of vision and have long-lasting effects thereby reducing the quality of life. Many of the world’s most vulnerable populations face blindness simply due to a lack of access to timely treatments and proper care. The good news? We can stop it! Through early detection, improved healthcare access, and community support, we can end preventable blindness caused by NTDs and build a future where everyone has a chance to see the world. Let’s take action today: ✅ Strengthen prevention programs for NTDs  ✅ Ensure inclusive eye health services  ✅ Advocate for the voices of those affected by NTDs to be heard and supported. Together, we can create a world where vision is a right, not a privilege. #WorldSightDay #NTDs #EyeHealth #PreventBlindness #Inclusion #Leprosy #Trachoma #Onchocerciasis #VisionForAll 

Today is World Mental Health Day, a time to focus on the importance of mental well-being for everyone, everywhere. This year's theme, Mental Health at Work, highlights workplaces' critical role in supporting mental health. For those affected by NTDs, the workplace can often be a challenging environment due to negative attitudes towards NTDs. When people affected by NTDs are excluded from work, it takes away an income, and the sense of purpose, fulfillment, and dignity that employment provides. Negative attitudes towards persons affected by NTDs in the workplace not only affect mental well-being but can also impede career development and professional growth, trapping people in a cycle of exclusion and marginalization. Let’s take action to improve supportive work environments and ensure that mental health at work is a priority for all by addressing the negative attitudes that people might hold towards NTDs. 💡 So, how can we foster more inclusive work environments for people affected by NTDs? ✅ Awareness & Sensitization: Encourage understanding about NTDs among coworkers and employers.  ✅ Support Networks: Establish mental health support systems at the workplace that specifically address the needs of those facing stigma.  ✅ Inclusive Policies: Ensure workplace policies accommodate physical and mental health needs, fostering a supportive environment for everyone. ✅ Empower Affected Persons: Those with lived experiences of NTDs must be included in the conversation about mental health and work. Let’s work together to create safe, inclusive spaces where everyone, regardless of their health condition, feels valued and supported. #MentalHealthAtWork #WorldMentalHealthDay2024 #NTDs #Inclusion #MentalHealthMatters #WorkplaceWellbeing #EndTheStigma #HealthForAll #LearningForChange #HealthAwareness 

📢 Exciting news! The e-learning.InfoNTD portal has been officially launched today at the NNN Conference in Kuala Lumpur! 🌍 1.7 billion people affected by NTDs, but technical capacity is declining. This alarming trend poses a significant risk to efforts in eliminating NTDs and the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide. 💪 As non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dedicated to addressing these diseases, we play a vital role in reversing this trend. It is crucial that we invest in building a robust, skilled, and knowledgeable workforce that can effectively address NTDs. 💻 The e-learning InfoNTD platform offers a flexible, cost-effective learning solution through its blended-learning courses, combining online and traditional education. It builds on existing content while fostering international collaboration on new courses. Learners can access materials anytime, anywhere, making it an adaptable tool for learning and development worldwide. 💡 Support the e-learning InfoNTD platform to build a skilled workforce addressing these challenges. Let's commit to making a difference! Contact support@e-learning.infontd.org for collaboration. Check link in comments for the website. #beatNTDs #NNN2024 #elearningInfoNTD #blendedLearning

📢 Exciting news! The e-learning.InfoNTD portal has been officially launched today at the NTD NGO Network 2024 Conference in Kuala Lumpur! 🌐 1.7 billion people affected by NTDs, but technical capacity is declining. This alarming trend poses a significant risk to efforts in eliminating NTDs and the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide. Government policy and decision-makers and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) dedicated to addressing these diseases, play a vital role in reversing this trend. It is crucial that we collaborate and invest in building a robust, skilled, and knowledgeable workforce that can effectively address NTDs. The e-learning InfoNTD platform offers a flexible, cost-effective learning solution through its blended-learning courses, combining online and traditional education. It builds on existing content while fostering international collaboration on new courses. Learners can access materials anytime, anywhere, making it an adaptable tool for learning and development worldwide. Support the e-learning InfoNTD platform to build a skilled workforce addressing these challenges. Let's commit to making a difference! Contact support@e-learning.infontd.org for collaboration. #beatNTDs #NNN2024 #elearningInfoNTD #blendedLearning

Great news! 10 new courses have been recently added to the Neglected Tropical Diseases channel at https://lnkd.in/eY-gfXWu Of those, 7 are on skin NTDs or related to other skin conditions such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, lymphatic filariasis, skin and migration, wound management and hyperhidrosis. Do not miss them! They are free of charge :)

📢 September Newsletter alert!    We’re thrilled to bring you this month’s newsletter, brimming with valuable resources, updates, and new learning opportunities. For the first time ever, we’re introducing newly published online courses now available on our website from developers like the World Health Organization and the newly launched e-learning InfoNTD platform.   𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬:  1. E-learning InfoNTD Online Course on Scientific Writing and Dissemination of Research Results  2. World Health Organization Online course on Wound management in resource-limited settings: Training for national and district-level health workers  3. World Health Organization Implementation toolkit for accessible telehealth services  4. World Health Organization guideline on preventive chemotherapy for public health control of strongyloidiasis     𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:  1. A study identifying programmatic and research needs from a series of research review meetings regarding the concern of ongoing transmission of persons 'never treated' in mass drug administration for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis.  2. A supplement article in which current challenges in generating more locally relevant models are discussed along with novel ways in which NTD modeling can help to accelerate achievement and sustainability of the 2030 NTD Roadmap targets.  3. A comprehensive literature review exploring the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy in the management and treatment of Buruli Ulcer wounds.     𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬:  1. Call for Proposals: Operational Research on "Endgame" Challenges from the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD). Proposals for operational and implementation research nested in national programs targeting lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and trachoma, are elligible for the call. This is an open call without a specific deadline.  2. Theory of Change – promoting locally-led change: a course provided by INTRAC. This course is particularly relevant for those with an understanding of the concept of ToCs but limited experience of the development and/or use of ToCs.   Application deadline:  28 October 2024. The course runs from 12th until 29th of November.   3. International Symposium on Schistosomiasis, November 10-13, 2024; Bahia, Salvador. The theme is "Perspectives for the elimination of Schistosomiasis".    𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝: Dive deeper into these topics and explore many more practical tools, insightful publications, and upcoming events and subscribe to the InfoNTD Newsletter 💪✨   🔗 Check the comments for the September newsletter link!    #GlobalHealth #NeglectedTropicalDiseases #PublicHealth #OneHealth #Inclusion #BeatNTDs #CommunityEngagement #NTDs #Strongyloidiasis  #telehealth #LymphaticFilariasis #BuruliUlcer #onchocerciasis #schistosomiasis #trachoma   

🩺🐍 Today is International Snakebite Awareness Day! 🐍🩺 Did you know that snakebites are one of the most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)? Each year, snakes bite over 5 million people worldwide, often in rural and impoverished regions. It is estimated that out of these cases, between 1.8 and 2.7 million involve envenomings with toxic effects. Despite the severity of the issue, snakebite envenoming remains largely overlooked on the global health agenda. These bites can lead to lifelong disabilities or even death, but effective treatments—like antivenoms—are often inaccessible to the communities that need them most. Raising awareness about snakebites is crucial in advocating for better healthcare infrastructure, affordable treatments, and educational initiatives that save lives. 🗣️ On this day, let’s pay attention to this urgent health issue and push for more action to combat snakebite envenoming and other NTDs. Together, we can help ensure that every life threatened by a snakebite is given the care they deserve. #NeglectedTropicalDiseases #GlobalHealth #NTDs #Snakebites #ISBAD24

🌍 Fungal Disease Awareness Week is an important opportunity to shed light on fungal diseases that often go unnoticed but can have devastating effects. Each day of this week is dedicated to highlighting different fungal infections, and today, the spotlight is on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), including chromoblastomycosis, sporotrichosis, and mycetoma. These neglected fungal diseases disproportionately affect individuals in tropical and subtropical regions, often those living in poverty. Mycetoma, for instance, is a chronic and debilitating infection that can lead to severe consequences and disability if left untreated. 💡 Day 3 of Fungal Disease Awareness Week will feature two important webinars: Neglected Tropical Diseases: Don't Forget About Fungi!  Mycetoma: Understanding the Disease, Seeking Solutions These sessions will emphasize the need for more awareness, research, and action to tackle the fungal burden within NTDs. By prioritizing proactive screening, timely diagnosis, and innovative treatments, we can make significant strides in alleviating the suffering caused by these infections. 🦠 Let's use this week as a reminder that fungi should not be forgotten in the fight against NTDs. #FungalWeek24 #NTDs #FungalInfections #GlobalHealth #Mycetoma #Sporotrichosis #Chromoblastomycosis #PublicHealth Check the links in the comments to find out more about these webinars!