Neglected tropical diseases represent a staggering global health burden, affecting approximately 1 billion people worldwide according to WHO data. In the Americas alone, the figure reaches 200 million individuals, with soil-transmitted helminths accounting for the largest proportion at 46.5 million cases. Chagas disease, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis collectively impact millions more across the region. A new PAHO-Mundo Sano Foundation partnership directly addresses this crisis through integrated surveillance and community-based interventions designed for cost-effectiveness and scalability. These diseases remain largely preventable and treatable despite their prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. The partnership’s data-driven approach emphasizes the critical importance of surveillance systems in identifying at-risk populations and monitoring progress toward elimination goals, offering hope for measurable improvement in regional health outcomes.
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