Keynote Speaker At ACE Meeting Chronicles Thirteen Infectious
Disease Threats Seen Under Five Presidents
The Infectious
Disease Challenge Called “Perpetual”
“If history has taught us anything, it is that the new administration
is likely to experience at least one infectious disease crisis of
significance.” So spoke Anthony Fauci, Director of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and keynote
speaker at the recent American College of Epidemiology meeting in New
Orleans.
Fauci chronicled the appearance of no less than 13 emerging infectious
diseases or challenges since the Reagan administration in 1981-89 and
during four subsequent Presidential administrations since his taking
over the helm of the NIAID in 1984. He outlined the problems and the
lessons learned during this talk at ACE. The challenges have only
increased over the years.
The Problems
|
Ronald Reagan,
1981-89
·
HIV/AIDS
George H W Bush,
1989-93
·
HIV/AIDS
William Clinton,
1993-2001
·
HIV/AIDS
·
West
Nile Virus
·
H5N1
Influenza
·
Antimicrobial resistance |
George W Bush,
2001-09
·
HIV/AIDS
·
Anthrax
·
H5N1
Influenza
·
SARS
Barack Obama,
2009-17
·
H1N1
Pandemic Influenza
·
MERS
·
Chikungunya
·
Ebola
·
Zika
·
Antimicrobial resistance |
Lessons Learned
The lessons learned over these decades in fighting these newly
emerging infectious disease threats, according to Fauci, are:
1.
The need to have a strong global surveillance system or network
2. The importance of transparent and honest communication with the
public.
3.
The need for a strong public health and health care infrastructure or
to have capacity building where these are deficient
4.
Coordinated and collaborative basic and clinical research
5.
Adaptable platform technologies for rapid development of vaccines,
diagnostics, and therapeutics
6.
A stable and pre-established funding mechanism—a public health
emergency fund not unlike the Federal Emergency Management Agency
funds available in the US after disasters.
Readers interested in learning more about these disease threats can
access “What Three Decades of Pandemic Threats Can Teach Us About The
Future”.
https://tinyurl.com/ycunmm8q ■
|