house Bill H.R. 1797
Expanding Federal Programs that Address Neglected Tropical Diseases
Argument in favor
Rare tropical diseases can cause deadly outbreaks that spread quickly around the world. Federal health agencies need to expand programs that research these diseases to save lives.
02/03/2016
As we're a global economy and society, it's time the US stopped pretending we're an island and became part of a more global coalition to combat rare (often fatal) tropical diseases, which can spread rapidly and inflict so much suffering on those most in need.
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02/03/2016
As a world leader we need to lead morally, including spending on diseases from other parts of the world. Also diseases in one part of the world don't stay there.
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02/05/2016
Tropical diseases like this disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable of our world. In a country that is so divided, subjects like Global Health can be something for all of us to rally against. It's time to come to grips that we are a part of the world, that the United States does not need to be as isolated or selfish as some seem to believe.
Argument opposed
The unfortunate reality is that health care resources are scarce, and rare tropical diseases rarely have a significant impact on the U.S. This country can't always shoulder the burden of the world's problems.
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02/03/2016
There are existing Federal and State entities plus private organizations motivated by profit that can direct their resources to these concerns without additional Government funding. Could it be that Government officials are contemplating possible election contributions as fall out from the private sector?
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02/04/2016
The WHO was founded in part to address this. We have systems and agencies in place already that address more pressing public health issues - like Zika has now become, but impulsively passing bills to every problem retroactively is why we're in so much debt.
02/03/2016
We have the CDC. And the military also has their labs. Hint: live anthrax sent to other centers. We don't need more massive spending. I would recommend a good kick in the rear to these departments with a strong overseers. Throwing tax payers money at this will not solve the problem. Remember that almost all new developments are done by private corporations subsidized by the taxpayer.
As we're a global economy and society, it's time the US stopped pretending we're an island and became part of a more global coalition to combat rare (often fatal) tropical diseases, which can spread rapidly and inflict so much suffering on those most in need.
There are existing Federal and State entities plus private organizations motivated by profit that can direct their resources to these concerns without additional Government funding. Could it be that Government officials are contemplating possible election contributions as fall out from the private sector?
As a world leader we need to lead morally, including spending on diseases from other parts of the world. Also diseases in one part of the world don't stay there.
Maybe we can shift some of the money spent on oil subsidies to this effort.
Climate change is causing the environments where these diseases congregate to spread further, and put more populations at risk. In order to prevent widespread disease in the US it's important to start looking into these tropical diseases and their patterns now, allowing us time to develop treatments.
The WHO was founded in part to address this. We have systems and agencies in place already that address more pressing public health issues - like Zika has now become, but impulsively passing bills to every problem retroactively is why we're in so much debt.
Tropical diseases like this disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable of our world. In a country that is so divided, subjects like Global Health can be something for all of us to rally against. It's time to come to grips that we are a part of the world, that the United States does not need to be as isolated or selfish as some seem to believe.
Globalization has connected I us in ways we can barely comprehend. A new disease in China could make its way to the US in one simple cargo shipment or plane ride.
We have the CDC. And the military also has their labs. Hint: live anthrax sent to other centers. We don't need more massive spending. I would recommend a good kick in the rear to these departments with a strong overseers. Throwing tax payers money at this will not solve the problem. Remember that almost all new developments are done by private corporations subsidized by the taxpayer.
The United States has an extensive healthcare research system & deep financial resources, unless we are going to seal the US off completely by not letting anyone in or out, we will be threatened by the spread of diseases that are not native to North America. It's time we begin to address them. Just because ebola & Zika didn't originate in Iowa doesn't mean people in Iowa aren't in danger of dying because of them. We live in an interconnected world, if we don't cope with the consequences of what that means, we will have bigger problems than we ever imagined! And many needlessly dead citizens! Do this!!
Since funds are scarce and our deficit is out of control, we don't need to spend more money on this program
While I understand the fear of rare diseases, we as country need to stop hemorrhaging money until we reduce our ever so high debt.
Wether we have the resources or not, it is imperative to reach out and make good with what we have.
Today's "rare" tropical disease will become tomorrow's "common" disease. Just look at West Nile Virus and the damage it has caused in the US. We still do not have a vaccine for it. The Zika virus is now heading our way. The benefits from research into this would benefit all of us and may help in developing new treatments for more common diseases as well.
No! The U S needs to work our country's issues and stop sticking their noses that don't pertain to the taxpayers. Our country has its own issues and they need dire attention. CoNess needs to focus on our issues especially veterans
I rather prefer to be recognized as a leader in managing and addressing global health care challenges, such as SARS, influence, and Zika, than military interventions. Considering the overall cost / benefit ratio, I am pretty sure that those investments will be not only from a human capital but also from a simple cash standpoint the better investment.
Before imaginary lines dividing us, we are all humans. It is our natural instinct to help each other out.