Responding to the cuts in UK AID to neglected tropical diseases control programmes in Africa
Roy M. Anderson, Jorge Cano, T. Déirdre Hollingsworth, Kebede Deribe-Kassaye, Honorat Zouré, Amir Bedri Kello, Bénido Impouma, Akpaka A Kalu, Laura J. Appleby, Elodie Yard, Mihretab Salasibew, Kevin McRae‐McKee, Carolin Vegvari
Abstract
The early termination of the Accelerating the Sustainable Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (Ascend) programme by the UK government in June 2021 was a bitter blow to countries in East and West Africa where no alternative source of funding existed. Here we assess the potential impact the cuts may have had if alternative funding had not been made available by new development partners and outline new strategies developed by affected countries to mitigate current and future disruptions to neglected tropical disease control programmes.