WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases

NTD Intelligence

The 21 WHO neglected tropical disease groups (22 rows — dengue and chikungunya are split because burden, therapeutics, and post-acute syndromes differ), ranked by disease burden, with staged therapeutics and documented post-infectious persistence rates. 4 carry a distinct post-infectious infection syndrome (PAIS). 3 supplemental viral diseases are listed below.

Indicative burden: Deaths and DALYs use the shipped GBD seed until replaced with an authoritative GBD export. Cross-check WHO and IHME before citing.

NTD groups
21
WHO · noma added Dec 2023
WHO table rows
22
dengue & chikungunya split
Supplemental viral
3
measles, yellow fever, Zika
Post-infectious syndromes
4
PAIS-type
Updated
2026-07-10

WHO NTD diseases (ranked)

Sorted by DALYs (then deaths). Persistence % is curated from peer-reviewed literature — see each disease page for citations.

DiseasePathogenDeaths/yrDALYs/yrPost-infectiousPersist %Syndrome
RabiesVirus59,0003,700,000No post-acute phaseEssentially uniformly fatal once symptomatic - no post-acute phase
Snakebite envenomingVenom100,0003,000,000Lasting sequelan/aChronic post-envenoming disability (CKD, amputation, chronic pain, PTSD)
Scabies and other ectoparasitosesMite03,000,000Lasting sequelan/aSecondary bacterial infection -> post-streptococcal (acute rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis)
DengueVirus40,0002,900,000Post-infectious syndrome~20%Post-dengue / post-infectious fatigue
Taeniasis / cysticercosisHelminth3,0002,800,000Chronic disease~30% of epilepsyNeurocysticercosis -> chronic epilepsy
Foodborne trematodiasesHelminth2,0001,900,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic biliary disease; cholangiocarcinoma (Opisthorchis/Clonorchis)
Soil-transmitted helminthiasesHelminth2,0001,900,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic anaemia, malnutrition, growth & cognitive impairment (children)
SchistosomiasisHelminth13,0001,600,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic hepatic/urogenital fibrosis; bladder cancer risk; female genital schistosomiasis
Lymphatic filariasisHelminth01,600,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic lymphoedema / hydrocele
LeishmaniasisProtozoa25,0001,300,000Post-infectious syndrome5-10% (ISC) -> 50-60% (E. Africa)Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL)
Onchocerciasis (river blindness)Helminth01,200,000Chronic diseasen/aOnchocercal skin/eye disease; onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy
ChikungunyaVirus200300,000Post-infectious syndrome~40%Chronic chikungunya arthritis / chronic inflammatory rheumatism
Chagas diseaseProtozoa9,000230,000Post-infectious syndrome~30% cardiac / ~10% digestiveChronic Chagas cardiomyopathy + digestive megasyndromes
TrachomaBacteria0200,000Lasting sequelan/aConjunctival scarring -> trichiasis -> irreversible blindness
EchinococcosisHelminth2,000180,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic cystic/alveolar organ disease; recurrence after surgery
Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)Protozoa1,000100,000Lasting sequelan/aNeuropsychiatric / sleep-cycle sequelae (CNS-stage)
Buruli ulcerBacteria10050,000Lasting sequelan/aContractures, deformity, functional limitation after healing
Leprosy (Hansen's disease)Bacteria030,000Lasting sequela~5-10% grade-2 disabilityChronic peripheral neuropathy / grade-2 disability
Yaws (endemic treponematoses)Bacteria020,000Chronic diseasen/aChronic destructive skin/bone/cartilage lesions if untreated
Dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease)Helminth050No post-acute phaseTransient joint involvement; no defined post-acute syndrome (near eradication)
Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycosesFungusChronic diseasen/aChronic progressive subcutaneous destruction, disability, amputation
Noma (cancrum oris)PolymicrobialLasting sequelan/aSevere facial disfigurement, trismus, functional (eating/speech) impairment in survivors

Supplemental viral diseases

High-burden viral diseases not on the WHO NTD list — same intelligence template (measles, yellow fever, Zika).

DiseasePathogenDeaths/yrDALYs/yrPost-infectiousPersist %Syndrome
MeaslesVirus165,90714,278,089Lasting sequela~1 per 100,000 cases (SSPE)SSPE; post-measles immune amnesia; chronic lung sequelae
Yellow feverVirus8,000400,000Lasting sequelan/aPost-vaccine neurological events (YEL-AND); chronic fatigue in survivors (rare)
Zika virus diseaseVirus050,000Post-infectious syndrome~1 in 4,000–7,000 (GBS); ~5–10% maternal infections (CZS risk)Guillain-Barré syndrome; congenital Zika syndrome

Burden: IHME GBD · Therapeutics: Open Targets / ChEMBL · Post-infectious persistence: curated literature. Associations, not a diagnostic test.