The Ministry of health has today joined the rest of the world to commemorate World neglected tropical disease(NTD) day.

The event was held at MOH headquarters in Lusaka this morning with the Minister, Sylvia Masebo as the official moderator.

Speaking at the event, the Minister highlighted that the day was aimed at raising awareness for the diseases and the impact it has on Zambia.

She added that the government is currently working towards improving healthcare services for NTDs and is already making significant strides. Furthermore she said the biggest challenge to combat NTDs in the country is the lack of decentralization of healthcare and awareness among people. she added that government has successfully managed to administer mass treatment around the country yearly since 2003 despite the challenges.

NTDs are viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases that affect over 1.7 billion people in tropical climates.

NTDs mainly affect poor countries with tropical climates and Zambia is no exception. This years theme was ”Achieving health equity to end the neglect of poverty related diseases”.

Watch Livestream here: https://fb.watch/aVXDpfPMnC/