Neglected diseases are rarely headline-grabbing pandemics -- they exist in the shadows, afflicting one billion people who are already burdened by poverty and limited access to healthcare. And, despite the dire need, in the impoverished regions where these diseases often lurk in the shadows of neglect, with little hope for effective treatment, research and development (R&D) efforts suffer chronic lack of funding.
The reason they are called “neglected” is because these 20 diseases—the lion's share of which are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (Lmics) , especially sub-Saharan Africa—are almost absent from the global health agenda.
