"The Second 'Neglected Tropical Diseases' Contest" Is Held
January 30 of each year is “World NTD Day,” designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). This day is dedicated to raising awareness about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and bringing the world together.The JPMA sponsored World NTD Day 2025, and the NTD Subgroup of the Global Health Subcommittee of the International Affairs Committee participated in the “Second Neglected Tropical Diseases Contest”—one of the events for “World NTD Day”—as a member of the “World NTD Day Japan Executive Committee.”This contest was organized with the aim of raising awareness among the younger generation about the importance of eliminating NTDs through students’ ideas. We hope that this contest will help increase understanding and interest in NTDs and serve as an opportunity to learn about the various initiatives undertaken by pharmaceutical companies.
About Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
NTDs is a general term for a group of diseases closely linked to poverty, consisting primarily of 21 tropical infectious diseases caused by parasites and bacteria that are prevalent mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. They are called “Neglected Tropical Diseases” because they have not traditionally been considered major diseases by developed countries.They affect one in five people worldwide—that is, more than 1.6 billion people.
The Second Neglected Tropical Diseases Contest
The “Second Neglected Tropical Diseases Contest” featured two categories: Category A, “Communicating in an Easy-to-Understand Manner—Do You Know About NTDs?,” and Category B, “Considering What Japan Can Do—Toward the Elimination of NTDs.” Students ranging from middle schoolers to graduate students were invited to freely submit their entries.The submissions showcased many flexible and unique ideas from the students. Based on the selection criteria embodied in the message “Medicines and Care We Want to Deliver Together,” the NTD Subgroup selected one entry from among the submissions to receive the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Award.
Final Judging of the Contest (January 11, 2025)
There were 24 entries in Category A and 11 in Category B, and organizations participating in the “World NTD Day Japan Executive Committee” conducted the preliminary screening. For Category A, a social media review was also conducted via Instagram and YouTube.For the six entries in Category A and six entries in Category B that passed the preliminary screening, the final judging took place following presentations—either in person or online—and a question-and-answer session with the judges. In Category A, the entries—ranging from videos featuring the entrants themselves to those utilizing generative AI—consisted of a diverse array of styles, all of which accurately and clearly conveyed the complex challenge of NTDs.In Category B, the entries were all of high quality and highly convincing. They included concrete and feasible proposals for NTD elimination—possible precisely because Japan was the first country in the world to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis—as well as works that tackled the major challenges of “prejudice” and “misunderstanding” surrounding NTDs.
To all the contest finalists
Final Judging Presentations by Winners of the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Award
“World NTD Day” Online Event (January 30, 2025)
On January 30 of this year—World NTD Day—the “2025 World NTD Day Webinar” was held under the auspices of the Japan Executive Committee with the aim of deepening understanding of NTDs and promoting action toward their elimination. The event featured messages from Mr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of the Global Health Technology Promotion Fund(GHIT Fund), Director-General Junichi Takahashi of the International Health and Cooperation Office, International Affairs Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the awards ceremony for the Second Neglected Tropical Diseases Contest, and a special panel discussion on skin-related neglected tropical diseases (Skin NTDs).
Watch the video of the 2025 World NTD Day webinar here.
Japan Alliance for Neglected Tropical Diseases (JAGntd) website: https://youtu.be/kIcagR9Rx1s?si=ia80Sg5IUSBm_heB
Awards Ceremony for the 2nd Neglected Tropical Diseases Contest
Awards were presented for the Grand Prize (Categories A and B), the U-18 Special Prize (Categories A and B), the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Award, and the GHIT Award, and we received comments from each of the winners.
The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Award was presented to the music video “Neglection Toward Distance.” This work conveys the serious topic of NTDs through a very easy-to-understand key message, and we expect it to contribute to raising awareness of NTDs.
Winner’s Comments
I knew absolutely nothing about NTDs until I entered this contest. As I researched the topic, I was surprised to learn there are so many different diseases, and I even found the symptoms frightening at times. Learning that so many people are suffering from diseases that can be cured with medications readily available in Japan made me realize that my own good health is not something to be taken for granted.I created this video because I wanted as many people as possible to learn about the term “NTDs” and the people suffering from them around the world
. Upon receiving the award, Miwa Shinto, a member of the NTD Subgroup who served on the judging panel, commented: “This entry uses AI to present the 21 NTD diseases in a highly expressive and accurate manner.I believe this video conveys the gravity of NTDs in a way that reflects a perspective not typically found among the generation of judges from the JPMA. With its unique and innovative approach, I believe this work inspires us to raise awareness of NTDs not only in Japan but globally as well.”
In conclusion
Following the success of the 2024 initiative, this collaborative effort by stakeholders in Japan leading up to World NTD Day—which brought students’ ideas to life to highlight the importance of NTD elimination—has concluded successfully. We hope that through this initiative, as many people as possible will learn about NTDs.We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the NTDs Youth Association, a general incorporated association that was responsible for planning and operations; the Global Health Technology Promotion Fund (GHIT Fund), a public interest incorporated association that served as a partner organization alongside the JPMA; the Institute of Tropical Medicine at Nagasaki University; the Japan Alliance for Neglected Tropical Diseases (JAGntd); and the SDGs Promise Japan (SPJ), a specified nonprofit organization.
(Miwa Shinto, Global Health Subcommittee, International Affairs Committee)