Dear Colleagues:

Below is an excerpt from the Water Currents issue on WASH & NTDs and the complete issue is on the Globalwaters.org website .

Events
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, January 30, 2021  – World NTD Day brings together civil society advocates, community leaders, global health experts, and policymakers working across the diverse NTD landscape. January 30 is the second annual global day working to unify partners across sectors, countries, and disease communities to push for greater awareness and action on NTDs. Resources on the website include a  Social Media Toolkit  and  Activities and Events . Eliminating NTDs: Together Towards 2030—Formal Launch of the New

Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases, January 28, 2021  – WHO will launch “Ending the Neglect to Attain the Sustainable Development Goals: A Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021–2030,” a high-level strategic document and advocacy tool that aims to strengthen programmatic response to NTDs.

USAID Publications/Resources
USAID Neglected Tropical Diseases Program  – The USAID NTD Program targets five of the most common NTDs that have proven, cost-effective health interventions. The future is bright. USAID estimates 15 countries will eliminate at least one NTD as a public health problem within five years. Resources on the website include:  Publications & Events ,  USAID Targeted Diseases , and more.

USAID's Act to End NTDs | East Program  – This project supports NTD control and elimination efforts in 13 countries located throughout the globe in Southeast Asia, East Africa, and elsewhere.  USAID’s Act to End NTDs | West Program  – This project supports NTD control and elimination efforts in 11 West and Central African countries.

Neglected Tropical Diseases Fact Sheet . USAID, January 2021. Learn about USAID's Neglected Tropical Diseases Program. For 15 years, the Agency has supported more than 30 countries to combat five of the most common NTDs.

NTD Toolbox  - This collection of tools, resources, training materials, videos, and guidance is intended for use by NTD program managers and other implementing staff.

Practical Approaches to Implementing WHO Guidance for Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Programs in the Context of COVID-19: Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) Surveys . USAID's Act to End NTDs | East and West programs, December 2020. This resource is intended to assist national NTD programs as they develop their own country-specific standard operating procedures, training materials, and supervision checklists.

Overviews
The Process of Building the Priority of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Global Policy Analysis . PLoS NTDs, August 2020. Findings from this study can help develop strategies to build the momentum and drive actions to implement the goals of the new road map for NTDs along the pathway to universal health coverage.
WASH and Health Working Together: A ‘How-to’ Guide for Neglected Tropical Disease Programmes . WHO, 2019. This toolkit provides step-by-step guidance to NTD program managers and partners on how to engage and work collaboratively with the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) community to improve delivery of WASH services to underserved populations affected by NTDs.

Neglected Tropical Diseases Activities in Africa in the COVID-19 Era: The Need for a ‘Hybrid’ Approach in COVID-Endemic Times . Infectious Diseases of Poverty, January 2021. Failure to resume NTD activities will not only enhance the risk of NTD transmission, but will fail to leverage behavior change messaging on the importance of hand and face washing and improved sanitation—a common strategy for several NTDs that also reduces the risk of COVID-19 spread.

Nudge Strategies for Behavior-Based Prevention and Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Scoping Review and Ethical Assessment . medRxiv, December 2020. Handwashing with soap accounted for almost half of the included nudge strategies; other strategies focused on defecation behaviors and water disinfection behaviors. Targeting health behaviors rather than diseases, hence implementing a horizontal, rather than a vertical approach, has increasingly become common practice.

Kenya Landscape Analysis for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), WASH and Behaviour Change . Sightsavers, August 2019. The purpose of this study is to present a broad national perspective on current WASH and behavior change programming taking place in Kenya related to NTD care and control.

The complete issue is on the  Globalwaters.org website .