By Abdulkareem Haruna

Millions of the continent’s most vulnerable citizens are still suffering from a group of painful and disabling conditions known as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). These illnesses, while widespread, are often overlooked in the news, leaving them neglected by policymakers and public attention.

Today, this is set to change, a the African Media Network for Health and Environment Promotion (REMAPSEN) is spearheading a major campaign to break this “media silence.” Their goal is to move the fight against NTDs from a fringe public health concern to a top-tier issue across Africa.

To kickstart this awareness drive, REMAPSEN is launching a vital initiative: A webinar for journalists across Africa flags off today, November 25. The training will equip reporters with the knowledge needed to cover the complexities and massive human cost of NTDs effectively.

As a REMAPSEN spokesperson noted, “If these diseases are invisible in the news, they are neglected in policy budgets.” The network aims to be the essential link between the grim reality of these diseases and their necessary representation in the media.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies 20 NTDsβ€”a diverse range of communicable diseases common in tropical zones. While they severely impact low-income communities, they rarely receive the same global funding or attention as major pandemics, despite their devastating humanitarian toll.

Conditions like river blindness, elephantiasis, and bilharziasis do more than just cause pain; they lead to profound disability, social stigma, and are a major driver of chronic poverty, inhibiting economic progress across generations.

REMAPSEN is collaborating with partners like Brands On a Mission (BOAM) to increase both resources and political dedication for national NTD programs. By ensuring journalists understand the clear connection between disease control and socioeconomic development, the network hopes to secure long-term, sustainable funding.

Global efforts are making headway, thanks to strategies like mass drug administration. However, sustained media visibility is the engine that will keep this momentum going. Progress hinges on making the public aware of successes, confronting remaining challenges, and ensuring that the most marginalized communities are not forgotten.

REMAPSEN is positioning the African media as a critical partner in health, ensuring that these diseases of povertyβ€”historically left in the darkβ€”finally receive the sustained and necessary attention for their definitive eradication.