Increased funding for combatting neglected tropical diseases will not alone make poverty history. The specific contexts of affected areas must be better understood and existing problems dealt with

The UK government has recently committed more funds to tackle neglected tropical diseases. While this is a tremendously positive step, there are many issues besides funding that need to be addressed in order to make better headway. In particular, there tends to be overly optimistic assessments of the programmes’ effectiveness that runs contrary to the evidence. Tim Allen and Melissa Parker argue that the incorporation of different disciplinary perspectives and an integrated biosocial approach is essential.