Huffington Post: Science for the Poor: Making Vaccines to Combat Poverty
Peter Hotez, founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine

“…Beyond their staggering public health impact, the economic losses from [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)] are also impressive: our studies with collaborators at Johns Hopkins University show that Chagas disease results in more than $7 billion lost annually, mostly in the Western Hemisphere. There are similar data available for many other NTDs. … Science can offer a lot to prevent these infections, thereby making poor people well enough to go back to work, children healthy and intellectually vibrant, and improving pregnancy outcomes. One approach now underway is annual mass treatment with a package of essential medicines that targets several NTDs at once, and costs only 50 cents per person. … For other NTDs, however, we need new technologies…” (2/11).