Today, Dr. Peter Hotez was published in the current issue of Foreign Policy. In his article entitled “Gandhi’s Hookworms,”  Hotez looks at “the deep connection between medical health and the promotion of international peace and security.” He notes that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are endemic in areas of the world that are major concerns in U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Hotez writes that, “The security risks created by high endemic rates of NTDs argue strongly for seeking low-cost solutions for their control and elimination.” Fortunately, some low cost solutions already exist and an individual can be comprehensively treated for just $0.50 a year.

The article goes on to say that while “given the geography of where NTDs are most highly endemic, the modest costs required, and the potential for promoting global security, linking NTD control and elimination with U.S. foreign-policy goals makes a lot of sense.” Dr. Hotez calls on the federal government to increase NTD treatment funding from its current level at less than 1% of the U.S. global health budget. “The low cost for NTD control and elimination efforts and the potentially high return in terms of global security suggest that such activities could eventually be integrated into the missions of the Department of State and the Department of Defense, especially as their policies relate to the OIC and nuclear weapons states.” With rising deficits and a need for concrete, results based programming, investments into NTD treatment and elimination will serve both the U.S. and our international counterparts well.