Funding too concentrated on ‘big three’ diseases
Certain tropical diseases are being unjustly ignored in Africa because funding is so heavily concentrated on the 'big three' (HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria), according to a news piece in the BMJ1. The neglected tropical diseases include schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, and the soil transmitted helminth infections, and are responsible for as many as half a million deaths a year. According to the article, instead of 95% of funding being addressed to the 'big three', only spending 90% and freeing up 5% of funds would do a lot to address the other neglected diseases which can be effectively treated with a minimum budget, estimated at $0.40 a year per person. A proposed rapid impact package includes four drugs, three of which would be donated by multinational pharmaceutical companies. Compared to a minimum of $200 per year to treat HIV/AIDS, $200 to treat a single dose of TB and $7-10 to treat a single dose of malaria, the cost of the package would be negligible.
There are currently six public-private partnerships working in Africa linked to specific neglected tropical diseases, each reaching a large number of people. There are plans to bring them all together, thereby removing morbidity due to these diseases from the burden of disease equation for Africa. The challenge is to get donors to adopt a more evenly balanced funding strategy towards tropical diseases.
1Morales K (2005). Funding in Africa is concentrating too heavily on the 'big three'. BMJ, vol 331, 15th October 2005, pp 866
More like this
FEX: Cotrimoxazole as a Prophylaxis for HIV Positive Malnourished Children
Summary of review1 By Susan Thurstans, AAH Susan Thurstans is the HIV adviser with Action Against Hunger (AAH), based in Malawi Thanks to Amador Gomez, Technical Advisor,...
FEX: ENN in the Field - Editorial by Mary Corbett
Editorial Mary Corbett is a food security and nutrition consultant who visited southern Africa on behalf of ENN in early 2005. When approached to be part of a team to collect...
FEX: Better Practice in Targeted Food Assistance
Summary of published report1 C-Safe, a consortium of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the southern Africa food security emergency, has recently completed its second...
FEX: World Health Organisation Admits Targets on AIDS Drugs May be Unrealistic
In its World Health report 2004, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that AIDS was the leading single cause of death among adults aged 15-59 around the world and that in...
FEX: Nutritional Support Through HBC in Malawi
By Mieke Moens, MSF Mieke Moens is a paediatric nurse, and is responsible for the PMTCT and nutrition programme for MSF Thyolo, Malawi The author would like to acknowledge...
FEX: Concerns on Global HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Fund conflicts of interest
Summary of letter1 and responses2,3 A typical example of a shebeen in an informal settlement, Namibia This article raises a number of issues about corporate sponsorship in the...
FEX: Implications of inconsistent anaemia policies for children and adolescents in Africa
Summary of published study1 Location: Sub-Saharan Africa What we know: There are many interdependent factors that cause anaemia (infectious and chronic disease, micronutrient...
FEX: Support for PLWHAs in Malawi
By Mary Corbett Mary Corbett is a food security and nutrition consultant who visited the region on behalf of ENN in early 2005. This article is based on interviews with a...
FEX: Thiamine content of F-75 for complicated severe acute malnutrition: time for a change?
Summary of research1 Location: Global What we know: Complicated cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are usually severely ill with comorbidities. What this article adds:...
FEX: Meeting Point : Local CBO in Uganda
By Fiona Mitchell, GOAL, and Mary Corbett, ENN A Meeting Point staff member with a young child Fiona Mitchell is the Development Programme Coordinator, GOAL Uganda The...
FEX: Non-nutrition interventions to prevent anaemia in school-age children and adolescents
View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici By Natalie Roschnik, Andrew Hall, Moussa Sacko and Sian Clarke Natalie Roschnik is Senior Nutrition...
en-net: Nutrition and Infectious Diseases Advisor (Technical Advisor I), FANTA III Project #3262
FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts...
en-net: Technical Officer III, Nutrition and Infectious Diseases, FANTA III Project
FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts...
FEX: Research Snapshots
The following provides a short summary of each of these important research studies. A fuller summary of each can be found online at www.ennonline.net/fex Inpatient management...
FEX: WFP HIV/AIDS Programming in Malawi
By Jeremy Shoham, ENN Households headed by the elderly may be vulnerable This article was written based on a WFP consultation to Malawi in February 2005. The WFP Malawi...
FEX: Effects of nutrition interventions during pregnancy on low birth weight
Summary of research1 Location: Global What we know: Low birth weight (LBW) is a major underlying cause of infant mortality and childhood morbidity; LBW is greatly affected by...
FEX: Nutrition in health response in emergencies: WHO perspectives and developments
By Zita Weise Prinzo, Adelheid Onyango, Dr Ferima-Coulibaly Zerbo, Hana Bekele, Dr Ngoy Nsenga and Adelheid Marschang View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en...
FEX: REACH OUT food assistance in Uganda
By Peter Paul Igu, Reach Out and Mary Corbett, ENN Peter Paul Igu has been a full-time volunteer with the organisation, Reach Out, since Jan 2002, and is the food programme...
FEX: Clinton Foundation
Name Clinton Foundation Year founded 1970 Address 55 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 Director Anil Soni, CEO Email sarora@clintonfoundation.org No. of HQ staff...
FEX: Research snapshots
Factors influencing pastoral and agropastoral household vulnerability to food insecurity in Kenya Kenya has a population of more than 38 million, 10% of whom are classified as...
Reference this page
Funding too concentrated on ‘big three’ diseases. Field Exchange 27, March 2006. p14. www.ennonline.net/fex/27/funding
(ENN_2287)