On June 14, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations approved, by voice vote, H.R. 1415, the End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act, sponsored by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ).
Among other provisions, the legislation would encourage the United States Agency for International Development to provide drug treatment packages to individuals suffering from Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and prioritize programs to improve strategies to eliminate NTDs.
The legislation notes that NTDs, such as soil-transmitted helminths, are “particularly detrimental to the health of women of reproductive age and pregnant women.”
