The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently granted The Task Force for Global Health just under $28.8 million over the course of the next five years for its work in researching tropical diseases and developing innovative solutions to quickly treat these illnesses. This decision supports the Gates Foundations' primary values and areas of support. The foundation acknowledges that significant changes require collaboration between organizations and aims to help achieve global health.

"In Africa, we are plagued by disabling elephantiasis, river blindness, schistosomiasis, intestinal parasites and blinding trachoma. This grant will support the research needed by program managers in my country and many others to eliminate and control these dreaded diseases," said Dr. Dominique Kyelem. 

The grant will support the newly established Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center (NTD-SC), which is a program of The Task Force for Global Health. Specifically, this initiative aims to shed scientific light on trachoma, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis through partnerships with other key groups.

This grant comes at a crucial time, according to Dr. Lorenzo Savioli, director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases for the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO recently voted for additional support for 17 of such ailments. 

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