Media Invitation to a Press Conference

The Economist Intelligence Unit Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

NAIROBI, Kenya, October 1st, 2020, -/ African Media Agency(AMA)/-The END Fund is inviting journalists to a press conference on reducing the economic and societal burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a  report released by The Economist Intelligence Unit, yesterday, neglected tropical diseases cause an annual loss of 17 million healthy life years globally, with 40% of these lost in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, two diseases – schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis – caused a loss of about 2.1m healthy life years.

“The most recent WHO roadmap for neglected tropical diseases sets targets for the elimination of both schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis as public health problems by 2030. Eliminating morbidity and mortality from schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe by 2030 could boost these countries’ GDP by US$5.1bn in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms by 2040.” – The Economist Intelligence Unit

Join the END Fund’s Associate Vice President of Programs, Karen Palacio, in looking at the epidemiological burden of NTDs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, strategies for NTDs control, and the economic benefits of ending NTDs. 

Registration details

Speaker: Karen Palacio, Associate Vice President, Programs at the END Fund

Date: Wednesday, 7th October, 2020

Time: 2:30PM EAT

Online: via Zoom

Enquiries: team@africanmediaagency.com

Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of END Fund .

About the END Fund

The END Fund is the only private philanthropic initiative solely dedicated to ending the five most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect more than 1.7 billion people globally. It efficiently puts private capital to work, advocating for NTD programs that are innovative, integrated, and cost-effective. It facilitates strong partnerships with the private sector and has supported national disease control programs in 31 countries.
Since its founding in 2012, with its partners, the END Fund has provided over 920 million donated treatments worth over $1 billion, over 17,000 surgeries for people suffering from the effects of the advanced stages of elephantiasis and trachoma, and trained more than 2.7 million people in NTD control and elimination efforts. Visit www.end.org for more information. 

About the Economist Intelligence Unit

The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper. Created in 1946, the Economist Intelligence Unit has over 70 years’ experience in helping businesses, financial firms and governments to understand how the world is changing and how that creates opportunities to be seized and risks to be managed. 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)