Diagnostics constitute a priority area for WHO/NTD and directly inform many of the targets noted in the 2021–2030 road map, Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021−2030.

As the intensity of infection and prevalence of NTDs progressively decrease, current methods of diagnosis may not have the necessary sensitivity or specificity to support programmes through to the point of target delivery. New tests will therefore be required to determine decisions that include changing treatment frequency; when to stop mass treatment and maintain appropriate levels of surveillance; and validation, verification or certification. This also involves the development of accurate point-of-care tests that can be performed in resource-limited settings to bring them nearer to remote communities and to overcome key challenges such as healthcare-seeking behaviour, lack of disease awareness and population movement.

To that end, WHO/NTD has established a Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group (DTAG) to actively address priority areas for NTD diagnostics, to identify gaps in current provision, and to advise on the diagnostic innovations and developments required to ensure that the diagnostic process is able to properly inform decisions surrounding treatment of NTDs.

The DTAG in turn, has instituted a number of focus-specific subgroups to report on the key issues facing the NTD community in areas such as monitoring and evaluation, manufacturing and regulatory pathways, and clinical diagnosis, imaging, and microscopy.

As part of this process, DTAG is developing target product profiles (TPPs) for NTD diagnostics.