To: President Donald Trump
Ebola is back: restore global pandemic funding now!
The same day a new Ebola outbreak was declared, the White House announced the resignation of senior director for global health security, Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, after disbanding his team and announcing cuts to global pandemic funding. This funding needs to be restored, and these jobs filled again immediately.
Why is this important?
There have been 18 deaths so far, and 32 infected, in the new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1]
Outbreaks of highly contagious, deadly diseases can usually be contained with the right support and responses. The United States has long led the way in providing the knowledge and resources needed to prevent small, local outbreaks from becoming globe-spanning epidemics, but we are currently under-prepared [2] to respond to a major public health threat.
Everyone has a stake in preventing a return to a past where infectious diseases killed more people than wars. The White House needs to restore high-level pandemic response funding and bring in skilled public health experts to coordinate with medical response teams in the US and around the world.
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[1] - "A new Ebola outbreak has infected 32 people — and the White House official in charge of responses to global pandemics just left," by Kevin Loria, May 11, 2018.
https://www.chron.com/technology/businessinsider/article/A-new-Ebola-outbreak-has-infected-32-people-12907228.php
[2] - "Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly," by Lena H. Sun, May 10, 2018.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/10/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly/
Outbreaks of highly contagious, deadly diseases can usually be contained with the right support and responses. The United States has long led the way in providing the knowledge and resources needed to prevent small, local outbreaks from becoming globe-spanning epidemics, but we are currently under-prepared [2] to respond to a major public health threat.
Everyone has a stake in preventing a return to a past where infectious diseases killed more people than wars. The White House needs to restore high-level pandemic response funding and bring in skilled public health experts to coordinate with medical response teams in the US and around the world.
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[1] - "A new Ebola outbreak has infected 32 people — and the White House official in charge of responses to global pandemics just left," by Kevin Loria, May 11, 2018.
https://www.chron.com/technology/businessinsider/article/A-new-Ebola-outbreak-has-infected-32-people-12907228.php
[2] - "Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly," by Lena H. Sun, May 10, 2018.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/10/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly/