Short description
Neglected Tropical Diseases are a group of communicable diseases that are mainly found in tropical and subtropical countries and that mainly affect people living in poverty.

Detailed description

Most of these diseases are caused by worms and single-cell organisms, have a chronic form and reduce productivity of the affected persons, which traps them in a circle of poverty and disease. According to the WHO, the neglected tropical diseases include 19 diseases such as leprosy, dengue fever and sleeping sickness. They affect more than one million people worldwide and are called neglected diseases as no large research funds are provided to study them.