The WHO has released an updated version (.pdf) of its first report on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which was released last year. In the introduction of the new report, Lorenzo Savioli, director of the WHO Department of Control of NTDs, writes, “Despite a difficult economic outlook, we believe that immense opportunities exist for investing in the health of poor populations to improve their health and reduce poverty. With a firmer resolve and the right interventions, WHO is confident that the burden of many of these diseases will be substantially reduced or eliminated by 2020” (October 2011).