In recent years, global health efforts have increasingly focused on tackling tropical diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries that suffer the most from these afflictions. Notably, the city of Kigali in Rwanda has emerged as a hub for global tropical disease interventions, hosting recent summits on neglected tropical diseases and malaria. These summits provide the rationales and strategies for international efforts aimed at eliminating the burdens of tropical diseases. This article critically examines some of these rationales, the discussions that took place, and their outcomes. Moreover, it explores what these developments mean for Kigali’s evolving role as a center for tropical disease control efforts. Ultimately, we seek to understand how Kigali can further enhance its impact in the fight against these persistent health challenges.
Kigali: A New Hub for Global Health Initiatives
Just above, it states: “One billion – the number of deaths worldwide caused by tropical diseases since we recognized Kigali as the center of the world.” Indeed, this vast continent now hosts numerous global health summits in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, located at 1,500 meters above sea level in the heart of Africa. Moreover, here lies the epicenter of the battle against neglected tropical diseases, fueled by Rwanda’s successes in controlling and eliminating other devastating tropical diseases, including HIV, malaria, and highly drug-resistant TB. Consequently, “Rwanda is now the center of the world,” I’ve heard people say.
The Significance of the Kigali Summit
At the Kigali summit, an annual global gathering held this year by the Rwandan government with international health organizations, world leaders, experts, and stakeholders gathered to discuss the opportunities and challenges of tropical disease control. A key output of the summit will be:
- Foster International Collaboration: The summit provides a forum for governments, NGOs, researchers, and private sector organizations to collaborate and partner. As a result, these collaborations help issue public health alerts in a concise and time-efficient manner, enabling coordinated action among participants.
- Reward New Methods: Furthermore, the summit spotlights new technologies and approaches for addressing tropical diseases. Specifically, new diagnostic tools, drug or vaccine development, and innovative strategies for prevention and control are showcased at these events.
- Influence Policy and Funding: In addition, the summits spur discussions on new policies and programs that direct funding toward tropical disease eradication. Consequently, every year, summit discussions take center stage in global health, with policymakers and donors heeding their outcomes.
- Promote the Empowerment of Local Success Stories: Kigali and Rwanda have taken off in terms of health interventions, such as control of malaria and the delivery of vaccinations. The summit places these successes front and center and shows a template for countries to emulate.
Key Discussions and Outcomes
The Kigali summit is filled with a range of preoccupations, moot points, and agreements about the conquest of tropical ills, some of which are:
Addressing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
Neglected Tropical Diseases – a collection of infectious diseases, mostly those that plague mainly poor populations – are discussed at the summit. Lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, and schistosomiasis, for example, are all classified as NTDs. Integrated approaches to the control of NTDs, including mass drug administration, vector control, and community engagement, are emphasized.
Outcome: Commitment to scale-up programs for controlling NTDs, and intensify investment in research, treatment, and prevention of future NTDs; greater engagement of communities affected by NTDs in the design and implementation of NTD programs.
Innovations in Malaria Control
Malaria is still a top priority among tropical disease efforts Preventive measures have always played a key role in malaria transmission, perhaps more than with any other pathogen. At that time, the summit explored the potential of ITNs, while, nowadays, innovative measures are being developed: new insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), long-acting malaria medications, and malaria vaccines.
Consequence: the meeting accelerates efforts to develop a malaria vaccine and promotes the deployment of new ITNs and drugs, as well as increases the interlinking of malaria control with wider health systems and development programs.
Strengthening Health Systems
Strong health systems don’t come with tropical disease control: they are its crucial foundation. At the summit, the need to build and maintain infrastructure for healthcare, improve access to medical facilities, and intensify disease surveillance was all but mentioned.
Outcome: The Summit leads to agreements to fund health systems strengthening, such as building and staffing health facilities, and improving disease-reporting systems.
Addressing Environmental and Climate Factors
The role of environmental or climate factors in the transmission of tropical diseases is also high on the agenda; plenary sessions focus on the potential impact of climate change on the epidemiology of disease as well as the design of ‘climate-smart’ interventions.
Consequence: efforts to control tropical diseases must take the extra step of integrating climate considerations into their planning – from early warning systems for outbreaks of existing diseases, to environmentally sustainable interventions for new ones.
Enhancing Community Engagement and Education
After all, if people in tropical communities do not participate in disease programs, they might not consider themselves responsible enough to prevent the spread of disease. As genomic researchers dedicate more resources to studying tropical diseases, they must reach out and listen to diverse communities, a message encouraged by the biostatistician at the summit: ‘Instead of just relying on the communities to tell us what they want to know, it is important to go into the community and educate them to visualize what they can do to control the diseases.’
Outcome: From the summit emerge new strategies for community engagement and education, highlighting the importance of a culturally sensitive approach to disease prevention.
The Impact on Global Strategies
The momentum from the Kigali summit has affected global strategies for the elimination of tropical diseases in many ways:
Global Health Policy
The deliberations and recommendations of the summit frame global health and its challenges. Policymakers and international organizations translate the summit’s results into programmatic directives and financial allocations for the control of tropical diseases.
Funding and Resource Allocation
The event draws significant attendance from funders and foundations, allowing metrically-supported claims—backed by case studies of pilot and exploratory programs—to convert into financial support for tropical diseases.
Research and Development
The summit fosters innovation by pointing out areas of ignorance and urging cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Novel tools and interventions are jumpstarted by a distinct focus on innovation.
International Collaboration
Alongside the collective intelligence of tropical disease experts drawn from around the world, the summit spurs mutual inspiration and collaboration that led to multilateral agreements to share knowledge and operational support – in essence, creating synergies and building ‘no-regrets’ partnerships that help the global program work better.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Tropical Disease Eradication
The Kigali summit is a significant milestone in the worldwide quest to eliminate tropical diseases. In looking ahead to 2020 and beyond, five critical areas will continue to guide the fight against tropical disease.
- Sustainable Solutions: sustainable and adaptable approaches to controlling tropical diseases, taking into account environmental and social determinants of disease transmission.
- Equitable access requires fair diagnosis and treatment of the disease for the general population. Testing and research must prioritize vulnerable and underserved groups.
- Innovation and Technology: Continued funding for innovation and technology will further develop more tools that include new vaccines and therapies.
- Community Involvement: Keeping communities involved in disease prevention and control/management efforts will be crucial to maintaining the success of programs by empowering local communities and involving them in the analysis of their state.
- Global cooperation: In the long term, success in controlling tropical diseases will depend on maintaining good relationships between governments and international agencies, and working with the private sector too.
The Kigali summit is laying the groundwork for global strategies to eradicate tropical diseases by promoting partnerships, innovation, and community participation, thereby advancing the global effort against these parasites. We hope that the lessons and outcomes from Kigali will guide and carry our efforts forward to the outcome we so desire: the eradication of tropical diseases.
