Health: Tropical Diseases

Debate between Baroness Northover and Lord Crisp

Thursday 26th January 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Northover]

Yes, the contribution to the Carter Center is based on matched funding, and the conference on Monday will help to take this area forward.

[Lord Crisp]

My Lords, I declare an interest as chairman of Sightsavers, part of the UK Coalition against Neglected Tropical Diseases. I congratulate the Government on this initiative and on continuing the leading role that the UK plays in development. Does the Minister agree that the Government, national Governments in the affected countries, Sightsavers and others can now plan confidently to eradicate blinding trachoma—it is eminently preventable: we know all the ways to do it and we have the drugs—and that we should be able to do that in the next decade?

[Baroness Northover]

I certainly hope that that will be the case, and one of the diseases that this new programme will focus on is indeed trachoma.