With Millennium Development Goal 6, the international community pledged to "combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases" throughout the world. Worldwide, 1.4 billion people are infected with one or more of these less-known "other diseases." They come from the poorest of the poor who live on $1.25 or less per day, mostly on farms and in urban slums of the developing world. While these diseases have serious adverse effects on communities and exacerbate poverty, there are limited resources available for their research and treatment. In this interview, Peter Hotez, distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University, and president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, discusses neglected tropical diseases and their impact on developing countries. In what way do these diseases affect poor countries and what are some of the possible options for their control and elimination?