In developed countries the presence of parasitic diseases is not common. The exotic causative agents of neglected tropical diseases are only prevalent in zones in rural areas of developing countries. Unlike cancer, diabetes, and hypertension; NTDs are not part of our everyday life, so why should we care about NTDs? First of all we should care about them because we owe to our specie to thrive. These diseases affect the “world’s poorest people” which represents the most marginalized populations. Urbanization has not reach such areas and people do not enjoy from basic things we have for granted such as clean water, food, and electricity. On top of that, infections agents worsen the social situation on these areas. While improvements in the countries themselves need to take place in order to provide better living conditions in NTD endemic regions people outside these regions can dedicate their effort, time, and resources to prevent or cure NTDs. We have the necessary technology and resources to help in the biomedical advancement of therapies, drugs, and vaccines. Another reason on why we should care is to prevent the spread of these diseases to areas where they are not endemic. There have been reported cases of travelers getting infected with schistosomiasis in Europe. Also, there are reported parasitic diseases in developed countries such as neurocysticercosis, toxoplasmosis, Chagas disease, and pinworm infection.

In an era in which technology has tremendously facilitated the spread of globalization, it is impossible for us to turn the blind eye about the different issues around the world. One of the biggest obstacles developing countries face is the spread of diseases otherwise nonexistent in developed countries. These diseases have a great impact in the socioeconomic advancement of these regions and we are aware of it. Awareness about these diseases is just the first step, the next one is to take action. We can contribute to the spread of NTDs by dedicating efforts in biomedical research, support medical services in such areas, health promotion, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation with the fields of engineering and architecture to develop strong urbanization plans to improve the infrastructure in such regions. It is up to us to take action and cooperate in the elimination of NTDs.