Abhishek Bachchan as END7 Ambassador
- IndiaGlitz, [Thursday,February 13 2014]
Besides being busy with his professional work, Abhishek Bachchan has been devoting time towards promoting national interest.
The actor reportedly has been elected as the official END7 campaign ambassador in India to help raise awareness of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The ÂDhoom star joins the END7 campaign at a crucial time, with India at the tipping point of achieving control and elimination of five NTDs affecting 500 million people by 2020.
Being associated with such campaign an elated Jr.B said in an interview, I am proud to serve as the END7 campaignÂs ambassador in India and hope that others will join me in ridding our country of these preventable diseases. END7 is an international advocacy campaign that seeks to raise the awareness and funding necessary to control and eliminate the seven most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by 2020. END7 is run by the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
For the records, India is at the tipping point of achieving NTD control and elimination - India runs the largest national NTD programs in the world. Nearly 35% of the global population infected with NTDs resides in India. Only 40 percent of school-age children currently receive de-worming; India must achieve at least 75 percent coverage.
As a parent, I am deeply moved by the devastating toll of NTDs on children, and I want to ensure that no Indian child has to suffer needlessly, added Abhishek, who is currently working on Farah KhanÂs multi-starrer film ÂHappy New YearÂ.