The 21 WHO neglected tropical diseases, ranked by disease burden, with top therapeutic hits and — for each — whether a post-infectious syndrome is documented and what proportion of patients have persistent symptoms in the literature. 4 carry a distinct post-infectious infection syndrome (the post-acute / Long-COVID analog).
| Disease | Pathogen | Deaths/yr | DALYs/yr | Post-infectious | Persist % | Syndrome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Virus | 59,000 | 3,700,000 | No post-acute phase | — | Essentially uniformly fatal once symptomatic - no post-acute phase |
| Snakebite envenoming | Venom | 100,000 | 3,000,000 | Lasting sequela | n/a | Chronic post-envenoming disability (CKD, amputation, chronic pain, PTSD) |
| Scabies and other ectoparasitoses | Mite | 0 | 3,000,000 | Lasting sequela | n/a | Secondary bacterial infection -> post-streptococcal (acute rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis) |
| Dengue | Virus | 40,000 | 2,900,000 | Post-infectious syndrome | ~20% | Post-dengue / post-infectious fatigue |
| Taeniasis / cysticercosis | Helminth | 3,000 | 2,800,000 | Chronic disease | ~30% of epilepsy | Neurocysticercosis -> chronic epilepsy |
| Foodborne trematodiases | Helminth | 2,000 | 1,900,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic biliary disease; cholangiocarcinoma (Opisthorchis/Clonorchis) |
| Soil-transmitted helminthiases | Helminth | 2,000 | 1,900,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic anaemia, malnutrition, growth & cognitive impairment (children) |
| Schistosomiasis | Helminth | 13,000 | 1,600,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic hepatic/urogenital fibrosis; bladder cancer risk; female genital schistosomiasis |
| Lymphatic filariasis | Helminth | 0 | 1,600,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic lymphoedema / hydrocele |
| Leishmaniasis | Protozoa | 25,000 | 1,300,000 | Post-infectious syndrome | 5-10% (ISC) -> 50-60% (E. Africa) | Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) |
| Onchocerciasis (river blindness) | Helminth | 0 | 1,200,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Onchocercal skin/eye disease; onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy |
| Chikungunya | Virus | 200 | 300,000 | Post-infectious syndrome | ~40% | Chronic chikungunya arthritis / chronic inflammatory rheumatism |
| Chagas disease | Protozoa | 9,000 | 230,000 | Post-infectious syndrome | ~30% cardiac / ~10% digestive | Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy + digestive megasyndromes |
| Trachoma | Bacteria | 0 | 200,000 | Lasting sequela | n/a | Conjunctival scarring -> trichiasis -> irreversible blindness |
| Echinococcosis | Helminth | 2,000 | 180,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic cystic/alveolar organ disease; recurrence after surgery |
| Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) | Protozoa | 1,000 | 100,000 | Lasting sequela | n/a | Neuropsychiatric / sleep-cycle sequelae (CNS-stage) |
| Buruli ulcer | Bacteria | 100 | 50,000 | Lasting sequela | n/a | Contractures, deformity, functional limitation after healing |
| Leprosy (Hansen's disease) | Bacteria | 0 | 30,000 | Lasting sequela | ~5-10% grade-2 disability | Chronic peripheral neuropathy / grade-2 disability |
| Yaws (endemic treponematoses) | Bacteria | 0 | 20,000 | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic destructive skin/bone/cartilage lesions if untreated |
| Dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) | Helminth | 0 | 50 | No post-acute phase | — | Transient joint involvement; no defined post-acute syndrome (near eradication) |
| Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses | Fungus | — | — | Chronic disease | n/a | Chronic progressive subcutaneous destruction, disability, amputation |
| Noma (cancrum oris) | Polymicrobial | — | — | Lasting sequela | n/a | Severe facial disfigurement, trismus, functional (eating/speech) impairment in survivors |