Since the beginning of the global pandemic, AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives, according to figures cited by the GSAS PhD group Science in the News (SITN). While both the number of new cases and the number of deaths have begun a downward trend in the past decade, it is estimated that still more than 33 million people in the world are living with the HIV virus, and most are concentrated in the world’s most impoverished regions. Much still needs to be done to alleviate the immense human suffering from this disease.

But AIDS is not the only infectious disease that is taking such a huge toll on humankind. Tuberculosis and malaria, together with HIV/AIDS, or “the Big 3”, led to 4 million deaths in 2004 and caused more than a tenth of all deaths in developing nations.

Equally in need of attention are a group of 17 diseases, caused by various bacteria, viruses, and worms, that together afflict a billion of the world’s poorest and most isolated people. These “neglected tropical diseases” (NTDs) are out of sight from much of the developed world; consequently, understanding of these diseases and development of medical interventions for them have lagged behind. The first report by the World Health Organization on NTDs, published this year, both highlights the great necessity for more research and funding for these diseases, and offers a glimmer of hope that the long neglect may finally be over.

In conjunction with World Aids Day on December 1, SITN published a special edition of its Flash newsletter, with insightful pieces on HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and under-studied tropical diseases. SITN is dedicated to exploring the science behind media reports on health, environment, and other topical issues — and reporting it in clear, accessible language. Read their findings here.