Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 102 | Published: 13 Oct 2026
Mawuli Gohoho1,&, Alfred Kwesi Manyeh2, Mustapha Immurana3, Margaret Gyapong3, John Owusu Gyapong2˒4
1Jasikan Municipal Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Oti Region, Ghana, 2Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases Research, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Volta Region, Ghana, 3Centre for Health Policy and Implementation Research, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Volta Region, Ghana, 4African Research Universities Alliance, Legon, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Mawuli Gohoho; Jasikan Municipal Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Oti Region, Ghana, Email: mawulikgohoho@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4357-3509
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 13 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Neglected tropical diseases,One Health, health systems integration, community engagement and involvement, Sub-Saharan Africa
©Mawuli Gohoho et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Mawuli Gohoho et al., Reorienting neglected tropical disease control in sub-Saharan Africa: Epidemiological lessons and future directions for sustainable elimination. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):102. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-00102
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to impose major health, social and economic burdens, particularly in vulnerable populations across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although global partnerships and investments have accelerated progress towards NTD control and elimination, persistent transmission, inequities in intervention coverage and health system challenges remain major concerns. We reviewed the current NTD interventions to highlight progress, persistent challenges and future priorities for sustainable control and elimination.
We conducted a narrative review of evidence on major NTD interventions, including preventive chemotherapy (PC), innovative and intensified disease management, vector control, One Health approaches, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions, and community engagement and involvement (CEI). We synthesized evidence on intervention successes, implementation challenges and future priorities with emphasis on their implications for epidemiological practice and NTD programmes in SSA.
Global NTD cases declined by 29% between 1990 and 2019, and the population requiring interventions declined from 2.19 billion (2010) to 1.62 billion (2022). Major reductions occurred in lymphatic filariasis (77.6% decline in the African Region, 1990–2021) and human African trypanosomiasis (from 62,000 to just over 2,000 cases). By February 2025, 55 countries had eliminated at least one NTD. PC remained a highly cost-effective intervention, generating an estimated US$25 return per US$1 invested. Despite these gains, SSA continues to carry about 40% of the global burden, with about 600 million people requiring treatment. Barriers include inequitable intervention access, logistical challenges, donor dependency, inadequate financing, stigma and weak integration into health systems. Integrated delivery models showed integrating NTD interventions into primary healthcare can reduce treatment costs by up to 33%.
Achieving the 2030 NTD elimination targets requires moving beyond disease-specific interventions through sustained political commitment, innovative financing, stronger integration of NTD interventions into broader health systems, strengthened surveillance, multisectoral One Health approaches, improved WASH interventions, vector control, and meaningful CEI, particularly in SSA.
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