The Immunization and Child Survival Forum in Maputo, Mozambique in July brought together leaders and partners committed to improving child health across Africa. While the continent continues to bear a disproportionate share of under-5 years child mortality, it is also where some of the most impactful and scalable solutions are taking shape.

NTDs remain a major contributor to poor child health—leading to disability, malnutrition, and missed educational opportunities. At the forum, a dedicated lunch hosted by RLMF highlighted the need to integrate NTD efforts into broader child survival strategies.

The event reaffirmed a strong, shared commitment to ensuring that every child, everywhere, has the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive.

Chad’s Ministry of Health, with support from the Reaching the Last Mile Fund and implementation assistance from The Carter Center, distributed medicine to stop transmission of two neglected tropical diseases: river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.

River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, causes intense itching, skin discoloration, and eye disease that can lead to permanent blindness. Lymphatic filariasis causes severe swelling of limbs that—if untreated—becomes permanent and hardens the skin.

The four-day effort saw teams traveling from community to community to bring Mectizan, donated by Merck & Co. Inc., and albendazole, donated by GSK, to nearly 3 million people living in 29 districts across the country.

The successful mass drug administration reflects the shared ambition of Chad, RLMF, and The Carter Center to combat these devastating diseases, and it brings Chad one step closer to the ultimate goal: elimination.

At a high-level session during the EDCTP Forum in Kigali, Ministers of Health, global researchers, donors, and frontline health workers gathered to celebrate recent milestones in the elimination of NTDs and to renew calls for continued investment in research and development. Titled “From Collaboration to Celebration: Towards Sustainable Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases,” the interactive event highlighted the transformative power of science, equity, and political will in addressing diseases that continue to affect over 1 billion people globally, particularly in marginalized communities.

At the 78th World Health Assembly, a Devex-hosted roundtable brought together global health leaders to explore how innovative financing mechanisms are accelerating progress against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The discussion focused on how pooled funding is helping to de-risk innovation, overcome chronic underinvestment in NTDs, and mobilize new sources of support.

A key highlight was the impact of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, which has become a leading example of how strategic partnerships and collaborative financing can deliver tangible results in NTD elimination efforts.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) were in sharp focus at the 78th World Health Assembly, where global health leaders marked key milestones and deepened commitments to elimination. Merck/MSD celebrated a historic achievement of 5 billion Mectizan treatments donated to combat river blindness and lymphatic filariasis—a powerful testament to decades of sustained public health impact. Meanwhile, the END Fund and the African Union Commission signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate NTD elimination efforts across the continent, aligning with the goals of Agenda 2063 and the Africa Health Strategy.

Additionally, Helen Keller Intl hosted a high-impact side event that brought together health ministers, technical experts, and partners, reinforcing that equity, local leadership, and sustained investment must guide the next chapter of NTD elimination efforts. In another show of regional solidarity, Ministries of Health from across Africa pledged to intensify cross-border collaboration, reaffirming country-driven leadership as essential to ending NTDs.