Millions of Americans have undiagnosed tropical diseases

Candace Stark, born and raised in Texas, has never left the country. But she suffers from chargas, a tropical parasitic disease contracted by bugs normally found in Mexico and South America. She’s one of 12 million Americans, nearly all undiagnosed, with neglected tropical diseases. That means they have no FDA-approved medicines or vaccines, and little research is being done on them. Frustrated with the lack of attention, Dr. Peter Hotez and his team at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston are doing what Big Pharma isn’t. Michael Okwu reports.