We put the spot on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and call for action.
Every year on January 30th is World NTD Day! Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect more than 1 billion people in the poorest and most marginalized communities worldwide with devastating health, social and economic consequences. World NTD Day marks an annual opportunity to mobilize together with more than 230 partners greater attention and to celebrate hard-earned progress.
In 2025, under the global theme ‘Unite. Act. Eliminate.’, we raised awareness for the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) schistosomiasis through various social media channels, and we were able to engage with the NTD community and the public. We utilized interactive polls and posts to illustrate the risks of the disease and to highlight our long-lasting engagement and achievements towards the elimination of this disease as a public health problem by 2030.
Social media posts during World NTD Day 2025 Awareness week:
On World NTD Day 2024 we hosted a celebratory event in our Merck Headquarters in Darmstadt which was broadcasted to all our employees worldwide.
The event under the theme ‘Unite. Act. Eliminate.’, will shed light on the schistosomiasis work undertaken by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany over the years, as well as the road ahead towards elimination of schistosomiasis.
Since its start in 2007 the Schistosomiasis Elimination Program has hit major milestones. Over more than 15 years, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has donated 2 billion tablets, enabling the treatment of 800 million patients, primarily school-aged children, in 47 countries all over sub-Saharan Africa.
We will also celebrate the critical milestone achieved for a new pediatric treatment option for preschool-aged children, which received the scientific positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency in December 2023. Read the press release here.
We also welcomed a panel of distinguished guests, key global health experts, to give us first-hand insights into the critical efforts to achieve the ambitious elimination goal: Juerg Utzinger, Director of the Swiss Tropical and Pubic Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Pamela Mbabazi, Medical Epidemiologist at the WHO, Michael Makanga, Executive Director of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, and Sam Myer, Vice President of Public Affairs at the END Fund.
We displayed our Photo Exhibition “Leaving no one behind” during a period of two weeks in the Innovation Center of our Headquarters. The photo exhibition showcases the experience of Manyazewal, a young boy in Ethiopia, who caught schistosomiasis and was able to recover thanks to concerted international efforts.
In 2023, to mark World NTD Day, we had a word from one of our local heroes in the fight against schistosomiasis in Kenya: Dr. Jackson Muinde Mwandi:
"It really motivates me to see people getting rid of neglected tropical diseases. And with concerted efforts, the elimination of schistosomiasis by 2030 is possible."
Dr. Jackson Muinde Mwandi
NTD Coordinator for Msambweni sub county, Kenya
Have a look at our social media posts during the day:
We have committed ourselves to the fight against the NTD schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia). Based on our integrated approach built on five components, we want to ensure progress and success in the fight against this devastating disease. We present each component with its own theme day throughout the week of World NTD Day.
Day 1: Kick-Off
We initiated the World NTD Day week by putting a spotlight on schistosomiasis and raising awareness.
Day 2: Research & Development
Innovation is critical to fight neglected tropical diseases. We are investing in collaborative efforts for innovative health solutions in this field.
Day 3: Health Education
Neglected tropical diseases such as schistosomiasis are preventable and treatable. We provide treatments free of charge and launched a storytelling lab to raise awareness in local communities.
Day 4: Treatment
In partnership with WHO, we have enabled the treatment of more than 600 million schoolchildren. Since 2007, we have provided the 1.5 billionth tablets to people in need in 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Read the press release.
Day 5: Partnerships
Collaboration is absolutely crucial to reach the WHO’s NTD roadmap goals for 2030. After ten years of joint efforts in the fight against NTDs the launch of the Kigali Declaration calls for continued commitments from all partners. We remain 100% committed to the elimination of schistosomiasis.
Day 6: Water Sanitation and Hygiene
Safe water and sanitation, as well as good hygiene behaviors (WASH) are important in the prevention of schistosomiasis. We support our partners in their efforts to improve WASH measures.
Read about it here.
Day 7: World NTD Day 2022
We are celebrating World NTD Day 2022! We are 100% committed to fight against the NTD schistosomiasis until it’s elimination. Together with our partners we continue #MakingSchistory!
In 2021 we created awareness and enhanced engagement by:
To help us raise awareness we invite you to follow and share our activities on social media using the hashtags #MakingSchistory #EndtheNeglect #BeatNTDs #100percentcommitted
