Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Mar 27:35:100561.
doi: 10.1016/j.lansea.2025.100561. eCollection 2025 Apr.

South-East Asia regional neglected tropical disease framework: improving control of mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and sporotrichosis

Dallas J Smith  1 , Hardyanto Soebono  2   3 , Niraj Parajuli  4 , Marlous L Grijsen  5   6 , Alyson M Cavanaugh  1 , Tom Chiller  1 , Prajwal Pudasaini  7 , Terlinda C Barros  8 , Arunaloke Chakrabarti  9
Affiliations
Review

South-East Asia regional neglected tropical disease framework: improving control of mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and sporotrichosis

Dallas J Smith et al. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia. .

Abstract

Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and sporotrichosis are fungal neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) recognized by the World Health Organization. These implantation diseases cause substantial morbidity, disability, decreased quality of life, and can lead to long-term complications including tissue fibrosis, skin cancer, and amputation. The 2024-2030 South-East Asia Regional NTD Strategic Framework includes mycetoma but neglects the full extent of mycetoma endemicity in the region. Furthermore, the framework excludes chromoblastomycosis and sporotrichosis. We describe the data demonstrating fungal NTDs being of public health concern in this region and more widely distributed than acknowledged in the framework. Additionally, we propose modifications to public health interventions and services for fungal NTDs including an active case search approach through community health workers. Severe disease from fungal NTDs in South-East Asia can be eliminated by improving burden data quality, early diagnosis, accessible treatment, and integration with other common and neglected skin diseases.

Keywords: Chromoblastomycosis; Fungi; Mycetoma; Neglected tropical diseases; South-East Asia; Sporotrichosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We declare no competing interests.

References

    1. World Health Organization Ending the neglect to attain the sustainable development goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030. 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240010352 Available at:
    1. World Health Organization WHO officially recognizes noma as a neglected tropical disease. 2023. https://www.who.int/news/item/15-12-2023-who-officially-recognizes-noma-... Available at: Accessed Feburary 13, 2025.
    1. Yotsu R.R., Fuller L.C., Murdoch M.E., et al. A global call for action to tackle skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs) through integration: an ambitious step change. Al-Salem W.S., editor. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023;17(6) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Impact Global Health . 2025. The G-FINDER 2024 neglected disease R&D report.https://cdn.impactglobalhealth.org/media/G-FINDER%202024_Full%20report-1... Available at:
    1. Regional Strategic Framework for sustaining, accelerating and innovating to end neglected tropical diseases in the South-East Asia Region, 2024–2030. World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia; New Delhi: 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

LinkOut - more resources