How to shock a celebrity? END7 have the answer

Tom FeltonMaybe you’ve asked yourself, how do you shock a celebrity? Well you could come up with a long list, from the serious to the silly. The serious side has been explored by the END7 campaign.

Emily Blunt, Eddie Redmayne, Tom Felton, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Tom Hollander and Priyanka Chopra are featured in a new video which calls for support to control and eliminate seven diseases that plague more than 1 billion people around the world, including 500 million children. In the video, international actors and musicians witness the devastation neglected tropical diseases cause and encourage their fans to be part of the solution.

These celebrities join a growing cast of supporters including Katy Perry, Ewan McGregor, Alyssa Milano, Norah Jones, Rosanna Cash, Paula Abdul and Stella McCartney to help raise public awareness about NTDs.

“Until recently, I didn’t even know these diseases existed,” said actress Emily Blunt. “The serious disabilities and suffering they inflict on the world’s poorest people is heart-wrenching. But I was inspired to join the END7 campaign because, for once, the solution is simple and available now. And the cost for treatment is so low that almost anyone can make a big difference by giving just a few cents/pence.”

END7 is the first global public awareness campaign dedicated to NTD control and elimination and relies heavily on individuals spreading the word and getting involved through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The video is part of the END7 campaign, a public awareness initiative dedicated to controlling and eliminating the seven most prevalent NTDs by 2020.

“We are building a movement that allows nearly everyone to play a part in making these diseases history,” said Dr. Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Since last January’s London Declaration we have seen a significant increase in support for NTD control and elimination among global leaders. What we need now is for the general public to get involved in our cause.”

The END7 campaign was launched in 2012 by the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. Wunderman UK leads the creative direction for the campaign, which includes this latest video along with the campaign’s website, Facebook hub and previously released “Mission in a Minute” video.

[Reported by Vivian Summers]