Bernard Pecoul, executive director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, and Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and editor-in-chief of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, write in this PLoS “Speaking of Medicine” blog post that the first-ever neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) meeting of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, which is taking place this weekend in Boston, “offers an opportunity for U.S. policy-makers and the public to better understand the devastating toll these illnesses exact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people” and “shine light on the commendable achievements – as well as some limitations – of the current approach the U.S. government is taking to tackling NTDs” (7/8).