The recent West Nile Virus outbreaks in Texas and across the United States have called attention to the strong links between tropical diseases and poverty, both in the United States and abroad. In an editorial published in the Sunday, September 2 edition of the Houston Chronicle, Dr. Hotez and his co-author, Dr. Kristy Murray of Baylor College of Medicine, called for more disease surveillance, education for healthcare providers and greater engagement by product development partnerships such as the Sabin PDP to respond to these urgent public health issues: