In line with the World Health Organisation, WHO, efforts to control or eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, in the world by 2020, a national project to this effect was launched in Yaounde on Friday, October 9, 2015, by the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda.

Speaking at the launch of the Countdown Project, which involves several national stakeholders and countries, the Minister said Africa bears about half of the global burden of NTDs, which have great impact on the economy and contribute in keeping affected people in poverty. He said hundreds of children and adults in Africa were at risk of these diseases.

The five main diseases being targeted in Cameroon are Onchocerciasis (River Blindness), Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis), Schistosomiasis (Bilharzias), Intestinal Helminthiasis (intestinal worms) and Trachoma (blindness).

They all have specific control programmes, some of which began in 1998. André Mama Fouda restated the strong commitment of government to overcome these diseases through an inclusive approach to treatment. He however warned that controlling or eliminating NTDs was going to be a long struggle.