Accessed on 10.04.2023 While virtually unheard of in developed countries, NTDs are a group of medically diverse parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases common in tropical and subtropical areas. NTDs affect more than 1.5 billion people annually, causing death, blindness, disfigurement, chronic pain, cognitive impairment and other long-term disabilities that create obstacles to education, employment, economic growth and overall development. When measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the NTD burden is greater than malaria or tuberculosis.