Fundación Mundo Sano contributes with field research to public policies aimed at improving the lives of people affected by neglected diseases, i.e. those that affect the most vulnerable sectors of the community.
Neglected diseases are a group of infectious diseases, many of them parasitic, which affect populations that live in poor socioeconomic conditions and that have restricted access to health services.
More than a billion people – one sixth of the world’s population – suffer from at least one of these diseases, especially in Africa and Latin America, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 70% of the countries and territories affected by these diseases have low or medium-low income economies.
These diseases prevail in tropical and humid climates, are chronic and have long-lasting effects on people’s health. Most of these diseases receive little attention and are not a priority in public health policies; in addition, the lack of reliable statistics have hindered efforts to make them known. They are also neglected in research and development.
Many of the neglected diseases can be prevented, eliminated and even eradicated if, as stressed by the World Health Organization, access to already existing safe and profitable interventions is improved.
To combat these diseases, Fundación Mundo Sano develops programs and projects aligned with its three pillars: translational research, knowledge dissemination and public-private cooperation.