Neglected Parasite Initiative
Breaking the silence. Mobilizing action to save children’s lives.
Disclaimer: AI-generated scientific illustration based on Cryptosporidium biology, created to visualize a microscopic process that is hard to capture. © 2026 Neglected Parasite Initiative. All rights reserved.
Ignored. Underfunded. Deadly.
Why this matters now
NPI cofounder Wes Van Voorhis explains why preventing over 200,000 child deaths each year is urgent—and how doing so could transform millions of lives.
Why Neglect Is Killing Children
Build the coalition. Speed the science. Deliver the tools that save kids’ lives.
The Problem
NPI exists because cryptosporidiosis is one of the deadliest yet most overlooked threats to child health worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of children die each year from this parasite, yet the disease remains largely invisible. We are driven by urgency, justice, and the conviction that no child should die from a disease the world chooses to ignore.
How We Work
We act by mobilizing a coalition of clinicians, researchers, and changemakers. It accelerates drug development, amplifies media campaigns to raise awareness, and lobbies institutions like the WHO to officially recognize cryptosporidiosis as a Neglected Tropical Disease. This recognition would unlock funding, incentives, and attention, through global collaboration, advocacy, and relentless scientific pursuit.
What We Do
NPI produces campaigns, partnerships, research initiatives, funding drives, and ultimately new diagnostics and vaccines. These are the tangible actions and deliverables that flow from its deeper purpose.
