Vol. 41 No. 1 (2024): Strengthening Health Systems Toward the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases and other Health Challenges

It is my pleasure to welcome our readers and all stakeholders to the new year and this issue of the journal. We always appreciate the support and patronage of all our enthusiastic authors, reviewers,
editors, and readers for their contributions. th The 30 of January of every year has been
designated as World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day. This represents a global effort to raise awareness about the i m p a c t o f N T D s o n v u l n e r a b l e populations and to advocate for increased
1 support in combating these diseases. The aim is to unite governments, nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), healthcare professionals, and communities towards appreciating the urgency of
addressing these often-overlooked diseases. Neglected tropical diseases include several parasitic, viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases that cause substantial illness for 1,2 an estimated 1.62 billion people globally. These diseases affect the populations already experiencing health and economic
disparities, contribute to mother and child illness and death, make it difficult to farm or earn a living and limit productivity in the workplace. As a result, NTDs trap individuals and communities in a cycle of
poverty and disease, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. They include a range of parasitic, bacterial, and viral  infections, such as leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis, rabies, and soil-transmitted helminthiases, among 1-3 others.