With notable cases of mental health crisis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that people living with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) suffers deeply from mental health crisis.
While raising the alarm, the health organisation warned that more than one billion individuals worldwide endure depression, anxiety and social exclusion alongside their physical illness.
Marking World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026, WHO said stigma, discrimination and limited access to mental health services continue to compound the suffering of people affected by NTDs, particularly those that cause visible disfigurement or long-term disability.
These include leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, mycetoma and noma.
According to WHO, widespread misconceptions about contagion and infection often lead to rejection within families and communities, pushing many patients into isolation.
As a result, people living with chronic NTDs are significantly more likely to experience mental health conditions than the general population, yet most remain undiagnosed and untreated.
“The fight against neglected tropical diseases is not only a fight against pathogens,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus. “True elimination means freeing people not only from the disease, but from the shame, isolation, and despair that too often accompany it.”
To address the gap, WHO has introduced its first global guide on an Essential Care Package for mental health and stigma related to NTDs.
The guide outlines practical, evidence-based interventions to help countries promote mental wellbeing, identify and manage mental health conditions, and reduce discrimination at community and health system levels.
The warning comes at a critical moment for global NTD efforts. While significant progress has been recorded over the past decade, with 58 countries eliminating at least one NTD and the number of people needing treatment falling to a historic low, recent funding declines threaten to stall or reverse these gains.
WHO’s Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases 2025 shows that official development assistance for NTD programmes dropped sharply between 2018 and 2023.
However, the health agency cautioned that reduced investment could slow elimination efforts, despite strong evidence that prevention and treatment offer substantial economic returns.
WHO is urging governments, donors and partners to renew commitments, integrate mental health services into NTD programmes and prioritise people-centred care. Under the World NTD Day theme, “Unite. Act. Eliminate.”, the organisation says sustained action is essential to ensure that disease elimination also means freedom from stigma, neglect and psychological suffering.
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