Rare Diseases Including NTDs and Their Management

The European Commission on Public Health defines rare diseases as “life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases which are of such low prevalence that special combined efforts are needed to address them” (<1:2000 people). Diseases that are statistically rare, but not also life-threatening, chronically debilitating, or inadequately treated, are excluded from their definition. Rare diseases are seen among migrants, but are generally not diagnosed. A group, however, that should be recognized and diagnosed are the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), in particular because they are usually treatable and in the countries of origin of the migrants they are not rare.