Following decades of health interventions supported by USAID, the World Health Organization officially validated three new countries as having eliminated disabling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 

 The following three countries were recognized for eliminating NTDs:

• Bangladesh eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem 
• Benin eliminated blinding trachoma as a public health problem
• Mali eliminated blinding trachoma as a public health problem

Because NTDs cause tremendous suffering and can lead to permanent disabilities that make it difficult for children to learn and adults to work, USAID has invested for decades in NTD control and elimination efforts in more than 30 countries.

Each country’s elimination effort was spearheaded by their respective governments and ministries of health with the support of donors and partners. These eliminations were also made possible because of generous donations of preventative treatments from pharmaceutical companies.

Since 2006, across more than 30 USAID-supported countries, six pharmaceutical companies have donated more than three billion treatments which were distributed by health workers to 1.5 billion people with USAID’s support. To date, 13 USAID-supported countries have eliminated at least one NTD. 

Original source can be found here.