Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle female genital schistosomiasis in countries where those diseases are endemic; and whether his Department plans to increase aid funding for prevention programmes for neglected tropical diseases.
The UK Government is supporting research and development into schistosomiasis through funding for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) which is actively developing new drugs for the disease with the aim to counter the risk of resistance and to treat female genital schistosomiasis. Since January 2021, the FCDO has invested over £42 million into delivering services to prevent and treat Neglected Tropical Diseases, as well as strengthening health systems so they can provide these essential services. We had previously supported research into female genital schistosomiasis through support to the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD) and this had led to the development of new competencies for the training of health professionals on the disease.