Countries in the WHO South-East Asian Region including India today resolved to fast-track efforts to eradicate and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTD) such as leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and kala-azar by 2020. These diseases, the global health body said, affect the most marginalised and neglected population, pushing them further into poverty and a life marred by deformity and stigma. Among the six WHO regions, South-East Asia continues to bear the second highest burden of NTDs. It has the highest burden of lymphatic filariasis, accounting for 53 per cent of global population requiring preventive chemotherapy.

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