image: A Ray of Hope (cover of inaugural issue of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2007) view more
Credit: Emma Burns, PLOS
Ten years ago, PLOS published the inaugural issue of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), the first open access journal wholly devoted to highlighting research and commentary on the forgotten diseases that affect the world's most neglected people. The recently published 10th Anniversary Collection in PLOS NTDs marks the journal's important milestone with retrospective pieces featuring over 20 NTDs. The articles in the collection reflect on significant lessons and successes in the field over the past decade as well as identify some of the remaining challenges. Together, they lay out a roadmap for future research priorities, identifying key opportunities for further progress in disease elimination.
The 10th Anniversary Collection was published to coincide with the 2017 NTD Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The summit will also celebrate the 5th year since the signing of the London Declaration, a collaborative disease eradication program inspired by the World Health Organization 2020 roadmap to eradicate or negate transmission for NTDs. A major highlight of the summit will be a panel discussion moderated by PLOS NTDs co-Editor-in-Chief Peter Hotez and PLOS Executive Editor Veronique Kiermer, where leaders of NTDs research will look to the future of PLOS NTDs in the NTDs community.
"The last decade has seen a mixed picture when it comes to success stories in the progress to control or eliminate the world's NTDs," acknowledge PLOS NTDs Editors-in-Chief Serap Aksoy and Peter Hotez. Whilst approximately 1.2 billion people globally have their quality of life and economic productivity diminished by NTDs, Serap and Peter remain optimistic:
"There is great hope that a group of at least five NTDs could be eliminated or eradicated within a few years, with continued significant gains for at least six other NTDs. But for some NTDs, especially some of the arthropod and snail-transmitted vector-borne diseases, as well as some zoonotic NTDs, we seem to be losing ground. Therefore, major challenges for the NTDs community in the next decade will include resource mobilization, both for the US and UK governments, to continue their historic commitments for integrated mass drug administration, while finding new and additional funds from the G20 nations and other sources to combat the unprecedented rise of the 21st Century vector-borne and zoonotic neglected diseases. At PLOS NTDs, we look forward to our role in the next decade on this front, and thank the global NTDs community of experts for their unwavering support!"
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Collection URL (link activates when embargo lifts): http://collections.plos.org/ntds-10th-anniversary
Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.
Competing Interests: Several authors of articles in the collection are members of the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial board and research various aspects of (including prevention and treatment) neglected tropical diseases.
Citations:
Aksoy S, Buscher P, Lehane M, Solano P, Van Den Abbeele J (2017) Human African trypanosomiasis control: Achievements and challenges. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005454. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005454
Budke CM, Casulli A, Kern P, Vuitton DA (2017) Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis: Successes and continuing challenges. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005477. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005477
Carabin H, Winkler AS, Dorny P (2017) Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniosis: Achievements from the past 10 years and the way forward. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005478. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005478
Dumonteil E, Herrera C (2017) Ten years of Chagas disease research: Looking back to achievements, looking ahead to challenges. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005422. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005422
Emerson PM, Hooper PJ, Sarah V (2017) Progress and projections in the program to eliminate trachoma. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005402. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005402
Engels D (2017) Neglected tropical diseases: A proxy for equitable development and shared prosperity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005419. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005419
Eisenstein M (2017) Partnering to promote research where it matters. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005530. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005530
Fahal AH (2017) Mycetoma: A global medical and socio-economic dilemma. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005509. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005509
Hotez P, Aksoy S (2017) PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: Ten years of progress in neglected tropical disease control and elimination ... More or less. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005355. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005355
Hotez P, Bundy DAP (2017) The PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases decade. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005479. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005479
Jourdan PM, Montresor A, Walson JL (2017) Building on the success of soil-transmitted helminth control - The future of deworming. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005497. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005497
Kamhawi S (2017) The yin and yang of leishmaniasis control. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005529. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005529
King CH (2017) The evolving schistosomiasis agenda 2007-2017--Why we are moving beyond morbidity control toward elimination of transmission. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005517. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005517
Lee BY, Bartsch SM (2017) How to determine If a model is right for neglected tropical disease decision making. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005457. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005457
Lustigman S, Grote A, Ghedin E (2017) The role of 'omics' in the quest to eliminate human filariasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005464. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005464
Molyneux D, Sankara DP (2017) Guinea worm eradication: Progress and challenges-- should we beware of the dog? PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005495. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005495
Powers AM, Waterman SH (2017) A decade of arboviral activity--Lessons learned from the trenches. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005421. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005421
Talavera-López C, Andersson B (2017) Parasite genomics--Time to think bigger. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005463. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005463
Watts C (2017) Neglected tropical diseases- A DFID perspective. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(4): e0005492. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005492
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