The US has created a new government agency to concenter on global wellness and pandemic bar . As part of its full range of responsibilities , it will be tax with preparing the country for " disease ex " , the hypothetical unknown infection that has the potential to spread into a Modern pandemic . The US response to HIV / AIDS will also be a major precedency for the new chest of drawers .
The US State Departmentofficially announcedthe new Bureau of Global Heath Security and Diplomacy last week . Launched by Secretary of State Antony Blinken , the bureau ’s first leader is renowned virologist Dr John Nkengasong , who is presently serving as the Global AIDS Coordinator in the Biden administration .
The new agency is , in part , a response to theCOVID-19pandemic , which highlighted how ill - inclined the world was for an international disease outbreak .
Numerous art object of research have starkly highlight how the conditions of the 21st - 100 world arecreating a perfect stormfor succeeding pandemic to break out . Next time around – and , unfortunately , there will be a next time – the US aims to be in the lead of the secret plan with the help of this bureau .
“ COVID teach us that in the world , jillion of dollar mark were lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic [ and ] millions of lives — 20 million people died in three eld . And the disruption that it created in provision chain of mountains management was just unbelievable , ” Dr Nkengasong said in an audience withNPR .
“ So , we have to really pace back and see what are some of the system and institution that we need to beef up [ pandemic response ] at the globular level , the regional degree and the national level . We have to beef up our workforce ontogenesis . We have to strengthen [ disease ] surveillance organization . We have to beef up supply chain management system and decentralize production of health security commodities , ” Nkengasong explain .
The new bureau will also be tackle the US response to the ongoing globalHIV / AIDScrisis . The President ’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR ) , launch by George W. Bush in 2003 , is set to expire at the destruction of September 2023 and it ’s currently uncertain whether it will be reissued , despite its strong success .
AsAssociated Pressreports , PEPFAR will now flow under the remitment of the new government agency , which hop to cover its bequest .
“ Our end is to bring HIV / AIDS to an end by the year 2030 as a public wellness threat . And it is very workable , ” Nkengasong toldPBS .
“ This is not the metre for us to soften on our leadership that the world has recognized , praise , and it muse our values . This is not the clock time for us to step back from those remarkable gains , which are very delicate . So I remain optimistic that the bipartisanship that characterize PEPFAR and has done so for 20 years will endure , and PEPFAR will stay on to be reauthorized for five yr , ” he proceed .
