Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help people with leprosy and other tropical diseases.

The UK’s global health work supports countries to build and maintain strong health systems and promote universal health coverage, to enable partner countries to tackle all the causes of ill health, including tropical diseases.

UK aid is invested in several major neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes, which are focused on building systems to treat and prevent Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, visceral leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, and trachoma. These diseases were identified based on a detailed analysis of the burden of the disease, the UK’s comparative advantage in the area, and the availability and cost effectiveness of treatment and prevention. Although leprosy is not a focus disease, activities relating to leprosy can be included if these can be delivered effectively in conjunction with activities relating to the focus diseases. We work closely with national governments to plan programme activities.