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Webinar recap "Driving Change in Global Health: Innovative Approaches to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)"

Updated: Sep 3

March 17, 2025

On March 17, 2025, the Infectious Disease Alliance (IDA) hosted the webinar “Driving Change in Global Health: Innovative Approaches to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs),” spotlighting research, practical interventions, and urgent policy needs in the fight against NTDs. The session gathered experts from diverse disciplines to explore climate-resilient surveillance, vaccine innovation, and socially grounded health solutions.

Key topics

  • Climate-resilient surveillance tools for NTD tracking

  • Progress and barriers in Zika vaccine development

  • Community-driven approaches in Latin America and the CaribbeanFunding cuts and global health equity

Speakers

  • Dr. Emily Nightingale, Research Fellow, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK)

  • Dr. Alberto Cagigi, Senior Scientist, International Vaccine Institute (South Korea)Dr. Pedro Guimarães Coscarelli, Professor, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Highlights & takeaways

Climate and surveillance innovation by Dr. Nightingale Dr. Nightingale emphasized the escalating threat climate change poses to disease surveillance. She advocated for wastewater-based surveillance as a powerful, climate-resilient method for tracking pathogens like schistosomiasis and dengue. This approach can detect asymptomatic carriers and serve remote populations, but demands greater investment and system integration.

Zika Vaccine Pipeline Challenges by Dr. Cagigi Despite scientific advances, Zika vaccine development has stalled due to regulatory hurdles and lack of active outbreaks for Phase III trials. Dr. Cagigi proposed adaptive trial designs, use of surrogate markers, and mRNA technologies, drawing from COVID-19’s accelerated development model, as potential solutions. He underscored the urgency of global cooperation and preventive stockpiling.

Social Strategies for Elimination by Dr. Coscarelli Focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, Dr. Coscarelli presented a holistic framework for NTD control that includes environmental risk factors, transdisciplinary collaboration, and community empowerment. He called for smarter integration of epidemiology, sociology, and policy in designing elimination programs.

Q&A session

Moderated by the IDA NTD Committee, the Q&A session offered further insights:

  • Dr. Nightingale addressed the scalability of wastewater monitoring and the need for political will to support pilot initiatives.

  • Dr. Cagigi responded to concerns about antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), stressing vaccine safety and immunological targeting.

  • Dr. Coscarelli discussed how deforestation, urbanization, and inequality contribute to NTD persistence and the need for locally rooted interventions.

Key statistics

  • Registered attendees: 148

  • Live participants: 45

  • Geographic reach: Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America

Looking ahead

IDA will continue its commitment through:

  • Post-event reporting and resource sharing

  • Stakeholder network development

  • Annual convenings to track NTD elimination progress

  • Innovation-centered workshops and follow-up events

Call to action

IDA urges global stakeholders to:

  • Restore funding for NTD programs amid global aid cuts

  • Invest in climate-smart tools like wastewater surveillance

  • Accelerate vaccine development for under-researched diseases

  • Support grassroots, community-led interventions

  • Raise awareness and political commitment to end NTDs

Sign the call to action on NTDs: Call to action NTDs

Webinar report 

 Download the full webinar report:



 
 
 

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