Huffington Post: Leishmaniasis: The Neglected Disease of War, Conflict, and Human Misery
Peter Hotez, founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine

“One of the least known consequences of modern conflict in the Middle East and East Africa has been the widespread devastation that results from a tropical infection known as leishmaniasis. The international scientific and diplomatic communities now have an opportunity to work together to prevent the spread of this neglected tropical disease and to develop new treatments or vaccines. … According to a 2012 study, some of the largest numbers of leishmaniasis cases now occur in complicated conflict and post-conflict nations such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Colombia, Iran, Iraq, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. … An extraordinary opportunity for what I have termed ‘vaccine diplomacy’ would be joint U.S.-Iran cooperation to develop and test new vaccines…” (2/25).