What is a Neglected Tropical Disease?
The WHO lists a diverse set of twenty diseases or disease groups as
priority ‘neglected tropical diseases’ See Table 1.11Others have expanded the list to include 40 conditions unified in their
ability to perpetuate poverty and cause chronic
debility.12 Control of these neglected diseases is
variable—they range from almost eliminated (e.g. dracunculiasis) to
precipitously expanding in both prevalence and range (e.g.
dengue).13 They have a singular commonality: their
devastating impact on impoverished communities. However, the list is not
exhaustive! Other situations exist where a dearth of evidence results in
uncertainty about clinical management, including drug-resistant
pathogens such as tuberculosis and malaria, and emerging infectious
diseases such as melioidosis, hantavirus, filoviruses, and Zika virus.