A Look at the World's 'Forgotten' Diseases

GLOBAL HEALTH -- February 20, 2012 at 6:34 PM EDT

A Look at the World's 'Forgotten' Diseases

With news that India is close to eradicating polio, eyes turn to other endemic diseases, such as measles and river blindness, that countries are battling.

"They are often ignored," Dr. Mark Eberhardt of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan. "There was often thought to be very little that could be done for them which has led to neglect from the scientific community and even the local population."

Eberhardt, who specializes in Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Dr. Stephen Cochi, a measles and polio specialist also from the CDC, described the diseases and why they still need attention.

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