Neglected Tropical Diseases

Viscount Simon Excerpts

Monday 3rd April 2017 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Simon (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, on getting this debate before us after a number of tries. I have a particular interest in this debate as, in east Africa in 1958, I contracted a nasty form of malaria, which left me for about 10 days totally unaware of what was happening and with the officer cadet on duty having to observe my state of health every 15 minutes.

Neglected tropical diseases comprise a diverse group of 17 communicable diseases which prevail in certain conditions in 149 countries and affect more than 1.3 billion people, most of whom are living in poverty, without sanitation and in contact with infected animals and livestock, as has already been mentioned by other noble Lords. Evidence recently published indicates that there is a heavy geographical overlap between malaria and the neglected tropical disease known as lymphatic filariasis, or LF. Both diseases are transmitted by the same mosquito species in sub-Saharan Africa. LF, also known as elephantiasis, is treatable and curable, but unfortunately the treatment does not reverse the effects of the parasitic infection, which damages the lymph nodes and causes the swelling of limbs. This can often result in lifelong disability, which again has already been mentioned.

To date, synergy between malaria and LF control programmes has been mostly in the form of accidental side-effects of malaria control. There are worries about insecticide resistance, showing the need for an efficient, sustainable and well thought-out approach to controlling multiple diseases. The benefits from attacking two diseases with the same interventions should be exploited to a greater extent in elimination programmes. Like others, I would be interested to learn what measures DfID will take to ensure integration between malaria and NTD control programmes that use similar interventions. This needs clarification.