7 September 2016: Health ministers from Southeast Asia have committed to taking action on neglected diseases. The commitment came during a World Health Organization (WHO) regional meeting that also launched an action plan for tackling malnutrition, and agreed to set up an emergency preparedness fund.
The WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia is holding its 69th meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 5-9 September 2016, to consider common challenges and joint strategies for improving the health status of populations in the region. The WHO Regional Committee has members from 11 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
In a press release, WHO announces that it will target a number of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) for elimination by the year 2020, including: lymphatic filariasis, yaws, leprosy and schistosomiasis. The Organization is also working with countries to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar disease, by 2017.
Addressing the Regional Committee, WHO Southeast Asia Regional Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said the WHO will support countries with technical expertise and facilitate partnerships and cross-border cooperation. She urged countries to provide health services to marginalized populations, emphasizing that this will enable the achievement of elimination targets. She noted that action on NTDs will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG target 3.3 says that countries will “end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases,” by 2030.
In addition to commitments on NTDs, the Committee members formally adopted the WHO’s ‘Strategic Action Plan to Reduce the Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Southeast Asia Region 2016-2025.’ The Action Plan encourages countries to undertake comprehensive and evidence-based work to address rapidly rising obesity rates in the region, which Singh explained are creating a “double burden” of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). SDG target 2.2 commits governments to ending “all forms of malnutrition” by 2030, while target 3.4 says they will “reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being” by 2030. The Action Plan also calls for providing a supporting environment for nutrition interventions, and secure support from a range of actors, including the private sector.
Other decisions taken at the meeting included establishing a regional emergency preparedness fund that will respond to the health impacts of natural disasters and pandemics such as the Zika virus. Singh noted that health security is a critical component of WHO’s work in the Southeast Asia region. [WHO Press Release on Malnutrition Action Plan] [UN Press Release on Malnutrition Action Plan] [WHO Press Release on NTDs] [UN Press Release on NTDs] [69th Session of Regional Committee]