Well, there is something called enlightened self-interest.
We can find that HIV originated in Democratic Republic of Congo between 1888 and 1924. We can track choloroquine-resistant Plasmodium to Laos-Cambodia border and early 70's. We can find that Polio virus remains endemic at India-Pakistan and Pakistan-Afghanistan borders.
I'm not sure that world is a better place with kidnappings, shipping cocaine and spreading bubonic plague in Sahel.
Several neglected tropical disease can be treated very cheaply. We are talking about 50c per person per year for 7 diseases. Filariasis for example.
Cysticercosis causes millions cases of epilepsy.
Children who are blinded because of measles today will be alive in 2050.
I can argue that there is considerable difference between productivity of person, who is blind and healthy one and social aid could be cost-effective in the longer view. More than improving modern computer, which gives modest return of investment. You can treat 1.4 billion people for 7 popular neglected tropical diseases for less money than Steve Jobs is receiving in shares every year. This presentation from Mayo claims that you can raise GDP in Kenya alone by billions of dollars just by deworming.
I've grabbed low hanging fruit, because neglected tropical diseases are for definition neglected. Part of them don't need any complicated research. They don't need buying drugs either. Pharmaceutical companies give away them for free.
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