Under-representation of low-income countries in the literature – targeting the bummock of neglected tropical diseases

Abstract

More than 50% of the world's youth and many economies with the greatest growth rates are in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Many prevailing diseases in these areas comprise neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – the 13 bacterial and parasitic infections that predominantly affect the poorest one-sixth of the world's population. The lack of published data, heightened by the disregard of researchers of developed countries, amounts to the ‘missing piece’ when attempting to draw a global picture of such diseases using systematic reviews or meta-analyses because of the imbalance in distribution. Defining and measuring the problem, evaluating the effectiveness and cost of interventions, and assessing cost-effectiveness are all necessary steps in determining health priorities for eradicating these NTDs.