How best to deal with neglected diseases?

In 2005, researchers coined the term "neglected tropical diseases" to refer to thirteen diseases primarily occurring in rural, poor areas that have been largely ignored by policymakers and public health officials. These diseases, including sleeping sickness, river blindness, hookworm infection and more, traditionally fall second in attention and funding to "the big three" -- HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Steven S. Clark

Despite a recent increase in funding for NTDs from private and government sources, there is debate how best to use this money. Would it be more effective to focus on the socio-environmental roots of disease, such as sanitation, clean water, education, etc--or is it best to focus on developing new treatments? The problem with the former is that it is expensive and would take a very long time to accomplish world-wide. The problem with the latter is that drug treatment won't prevent later reworming of treated individuals.

Read more about this in The Scientist or read the debate recently published in PLoS Medicine. Steven S. Clark