Note: This conversation opens with a short video. Summary: Neglected tropical diseases afflict the poorest of the poor in some of the world's most remote and isolated communities. Yet they are not as obscure as many people think – the blinding bacterial disease trachoma existed in the United States and Europe until the early-20th century, and river blindness was brought to the Americas from Africa through the slave trade. Through nearly three decades of work at the grassroots, The Carter Center has seen firsthand how fighting these horrific, yet easily preventable illnesses can make a tremendous impact on poverty and improve overall global health. Watch a discussion by Carter Center experts. Participants include Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, vice president for health programs, The Carter Center, and Dr. Frank O. Richards, director, River Blindness Elimination Program, Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Program, Schistosomiasis Control Program, and Malaria Control Program, The Carter Center. Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America correspondent, moderates.