Poorest countries in Africa making most progress at tackling forgotten diseases ‘It is striking that when it comes to fighting neglected tropical diseases, wealthier nations are among the poorest performers’ 10 February 2021 • 4:56pm Malawi has now eliminated elephantiasis, which Loveness Pitala, 48, suffered with Credit: Simon Townsley Some of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Burundi, Malawi and Liberia, are leading the way on tackling the world's most forgotten diseases, according to a new league table. The 2019 table shows which countries have reached the highest proportion of people needing treatment across the five most common conditions: bilharzia, intestinal worms, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), trachoma, and river blindness.