Politics

A Global Health Initiative

By Karina

Today President Obama announced his request for $8.6 billion in fiscal year 2010, and $63 billion over six years, for a new, comprehensive global health strategy saying:

In the 21st century, disease flows freely across borders and oceans, and, in recent days, the 2009 H1N1 virus has reminded us of the urgent need for action. We cannot wall ourselves off from the world and hope for the best, nor ignore the public health challenges beyond our borders. An outbreak in Indonesia can reach Indiana within days, and public health crises abroad can cause widespread suffering, conflict, and economic contraction…We cannot simply confront individual preventable illnesses in isolation. The world is interconnected, and that demands an integrated approach to global health.

Speaker Pelosi on President Obama?s announcement of a global health initiative:

President Obama is to be commended for announcing a bold global health strategy that will enhance our national security and save countless lives worldwide. This initiative builds upon the landmark Lantos-Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act that passed last Congress and was signed by President Bush.

Democrats and Republicans have come together in recent years to provide historic investments in global health. We have succeeded in providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment and care to millions of people while also preventing millions of new HIV infections and eliminating some formerly neglected tropical diseases. Success stories can be found in nearly every part of the world.

Now we must take the next step in the global fight against infectious diseases. We know these diseases, especially the HIV/AIDS pandemic, can destroy the very fabric of nations, devastate societies, discourage economic development, and orphan millions of children.

The moral case alone is reason to act but it is also in our national security interest. We have seen that impoverished states can become fertile grounds for terrorism and conflict. In a world where diseases can travel faster and more freely, we have an urgent responsibility to address the root causes in order to prevent more violence and suffering. Sustained and constructive American leadership is essential in this fight.

I look forward to working with President Obama and Members of Congress to ensure that the goals of the President?s Global Health Initiative become a reality.

Learn more about the Lantos-Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act signed into law last year authorizing $48 billion to aggressively prevent, treat, and care for those living with HIV/AIDS, and cure those with TB and malaria in the least developed countries>>

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 05, 2009 (boomark / email).