Neglected Tropical Diseases

Lord Rea Excerpts

Monday 3rd April 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rea (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, deserves our thanks for asking this Question and for her persistence with NTDs. She makes sure that these debilitating diseases are not neglected, at least in your Lordships’ House. Because these diseases are now mostly treatable, the accent up to now has been on medication, with less emphasis on prevention. But the underlying causal factors will allow the diseases to return, requiring repeated medication if they are not addressed. An example of this is onchocerciasis, or river blindness, where it is extremely difficult to eliminate the insect vector—a tiny blackfly. Repeated courses to treat river blindness are often necessary.

Tackling the causes, as at least two if not three previous speakers have said, requires the introduction of clean water, sanitation, improved hygiene and vector control where possible. As my noble friend Lord Stone said, this is encapsulated in the acronym WASH, which is now very much part of the NTD programmes of the WHO, DfID and other agencies. Of course, WASH plays a big part in the control of other diseases and the elimination of extreme poverty. We should remember that the provision of clean water and sanitation was and still is a basic part of all public health, dating from the time of our great-grandfathers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Much earlier, water-borne sanitation was used by the ancient Romans, but with the decline and fall sanitation was also lost. Can the noble Lord, Lord Bates, give us a report on international progress with WASH programmes across the board and DfID’s part in them?

I also repeat the request of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, for information about the development of new vaccines for NTDs. In particular, I wonder whether we are having success in developing new point-of-care rapid diagnostic tests. These can greatly increase the cost-effectiveness of treatment programmes because it is possible to identify people who are not carrying the disease.

As a further point, the Leprosy Mission is concerned that not enough is being done to control and eradicate that stigmatising neglected disease. There are still pockets around the world where it is not eliminated. Can the Minister say whether DfID’s role in this will continue—it already plays a certain part—and, I hope, be stepped up?

Finally, I follow other speakers in hoping the Minister can assure us that the UK’s contribution to the international collaboration on NTDs will continue to be adequately funded, Brexit or not, and help to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals.