Chagas disease, endemic to Latin America, is one of these infectious diseases.  It was only discovered and described in the early 20th century, but it has affected millions.  However, with focused initiatives and a lot of research, many advances have been made to reduce the prevalence of Chagas disease within Latin America.  There is still work to be done, but with enough motivation and funding it is possible to substantially reduce if not eliminate Chagas disease in Latin America.