In case you missed it, Harvard researchers Jennifer Manne and Karolina Maciag recently wrote a great piece on the need for NTD integration into the HIV prevention research agenda. The correspondence, which appeared in last month’s issue of The Lancet, quotes data published last year by Peter Hotez et al.

While the authors applaud efforts to map out strategies for controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, they point out that NTD control will need to be addressed to eventually break the HIV transmission cycle. Research has shown that there is significant geographical overlap between HIV infection and NTDs, and certain NTDs substantially increase the risk of HIV infection and transmission. Also, it has been shown that NTD treatment can reduce HIV viral load. It is clear that as the global health community finds more evidence of the connection between HIV and NTDs, so grows the need for coordinated control efforts.