PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: D.R. Congo and Nigeria: New neglected tropical disease threats and solutions for the bottom 40%
Peter Hotez, founding editor-in-chief of PLOS NTDs, director at the Center for Vaccine Development at the Texas Children’s Hospital, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine

“…Poverty is considered the overriding social determinant of [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)], with NTDs reinforcing poverty through their disabling effects. … While extreme poverty is probably the dominant factor in the persistence of NTDs in Nigeria and D.R. Congo, other drivers have been noted, including political instability and conflict in the region. … In the coming decades, urbanization will become yet another important driver for NTDs in Nigeria and D.R. Congo. … We can already project that D.R. Congo and Nigeria, especially their emerging megacities, will become new epicenters of the NTDs. Now is the time to embark on long-term strategies for disease control, including the prioritization of the new biotechnologies that will be needed” (8/8).