Neglected Tropical Diseases in LMICs: Disease Dynamics, Emerging Therapeutics and Vaccines, and Health System Responses

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to impose a disproportionate burden on low and middle income countries (LMICs), where constrained health systems, comorbidities and adverse social determinants of health complicate prevention, diagnosis and treatment. This Research Topic aims to gather up to date evidence on the epidemiology and disease dynamics of NTDs in LMICs, including changes in transmission patterns, clinical presentation and coinfections in the context of climate change, urbanisation and population mobility.We particularly encourage contributions that adopt a One Health lens, integrating human, animal and environmental health to better understand NTD dynamics. Vector borne and zoonotic NTDs (for example Dengue, malaria, Zika, West Nile virus and leishmaniasis) are especially suited to this approach, including work on spillover from animal reservoirs and environmental drivers of vector proliferation. Authors may choose to focus on specific NTD groups (e.g. soil transmitted helminths, vector borne viral diseases) to provide more targeted analyses of how environmental change and human mobility shape disease emergence and persistence.We welcome studies on current and emerging drugs and vaccines for NTDs, spanning preclinical and clinical development through to real world effectiveness, pharmacovigilance, resistance, and combination regimens. Submissions may address small molecules, biologics, repurposed medicines, or vaccine candidates and platforms adapted to LMIC health system and regulatory contexts.A further focus of this Research Topic is on health system and community responses to NTDs. We invite implementation research on case management and preventive chemotherapy; integration of NTD services into routine care; ethics and regulatory aspects of trials, introduction and access; and community and faith based interventions to improve uptake and adherence. We are also interested in the shift from centralised laboratories to mobile, field based and point of care (POC) testing, including establishment of sentinel sites and the development of analytically robust diagnostic pipelines at the point of need.Cross cutting themes of interest include equity, gender, stigma, digital tools for surveillance and care, and strategies to strengthen local research, regulatory and manufacturing capacity in LMICs. We particularly welcome work on South–South collaborations that foster sustainable solutions, enhance local innovation and advance scientific sovereignty in NTD control and elimination. We invite Original Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Brief Research Reports, Policy & Practice articles, and Opinion/Perspective pieces that offer novel data, rigorous syntheses or critical reflections relevant to NTD control and elimination in LMICs. Topic editors: Marceline Djuidje Ngounoue, Magellan Tchouakui, Sana Tamim Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80438/neglected-tropical-diseases-in-lmics-disease-dynamics-emerging-therapeutics-and-vaccines-and-health-system-responses