Families USA's Global Health Initiative advocates for U.S. policies that advance global health research, with the goal of developing medical technologies to improve global health.
July 15, 2008
In This Issue:
Policy
1. Global HIV/AIDS Legislation Hangs in Balance
News and Reports
2. Op-Ed from Families USA: Kyl, Others Stalling on AIDS Legislation Put Lives in Jeopardy
3. DNDi Calls on G8 Leaders to Increase Their Commitment to Neglected Tropical Diseases
4. Glaxo Scientist's ‘Aha’ May Yield Malaria Vaccine
5. Center for Medical Intelligence Expanding
6. Malaria on the Increase in the UK
Events
7. CSIS HIV/AIDS Task Force Final Conference
8. AIDS in Asia: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
9. Committee on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health
Policy
1. Global HIV/AIDS Legislation Hangs in Balance
On July 11, the Senate voted (65 to 3) in favor of "cloture" to close debate on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This moved the bill one step closer to passage. However, some significant hurdles still remain.
First, on either July 15 or 16, the Senate will vote on a budget "point of order" related to the PEPFAR bill. The point of order was raised by a handful of fiscally conservative Republicans who want to block the bill. If at least 60 Senators vote to waive this point of order, then the bill will move forward. Otherwise, the bill will die.
Second, the Senate will vote on an amendment to decrease funding in the PEPFAR bill by $15 billion. This would put the PEPFAR funding level over the next five years at $35 billion, instead of the full $50 billion needed. A $15 billion cut to the bill would be tragic—$15 billion can buy a lot of life-saving drugs.
Third, the Senate will vote on an amendment to cut provisions in the PEPFAR bill that do not pertain directly to HIV/AIDS. The current version of the bill contains key provisions to help curb co-infections that often occur along with HIV/AIDS, including tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. In Africa, TB is the leading cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS. There as many as 500 million cases of malaria each year, and malaria infections substantially undermine the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS treatments. TB and malaria prevention and treatment are essential to reducing the number of AIDS deaths.
We remain optimistic that the PEPFAR bill will move forward soon.
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News and Reports
2. Op-Ed from Families USA: Kyl, Others Stalling on AIDS Legislation Put Lives in Jeopardy
Guest Opinion: Kyl, Others Stalling on AIDS Legislation Put Lives in Jeopardy (Tucson Citizen, July 9, 2008)
“In these contentious legislative times, the PEPFAR debate in Washington has been an exercise in compromise, with lawmakers putting humanity above partisanship.” – Ron Pollack.
Read an op-ed by Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, emphasizing the need to reauthorize PEPFAR in order to set an example to other developed nations.
3. DNDi Calls on G8 Leaders to Increase Their Commitment to Neglected Tropical Diseases
DNDi Calls on G8 Leaders to Increase Their Commitment to Neglected Tropical Diseases (DNDi.org, June 30, 2008)
“Research is needed for new, practical and effective improved diagnostics and medicines and for effective ways to implement them. As the microbial world is constantly evolving, even the best control tools can lose their power if drug resistance develops or disease patterns change.”
To read the article, click here.
4. Glaxo Scientist's ‘Aha’ May Yield Malaria Vaccine
Glaxo Scientist's ‘Aha’ May Yield Malaria Vaccine (Bloomberg.com, July 3, 2008)
“[Scientists and drug developers] will begin a $100 million study of a malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, later this year, vaccinating 16,000 children in seven African countries. If the results are positive, the drug could be on the market as soon as 2011, making it the first vaccine against the deadly disease.”
To read the article, click here.
5. Center for Medical Intelligence Expanding
Center for Medical Intelligence Expanding (Seattlepi.com, July 2, 2008)
“A military intelligence unit that had tracked medical threats to troops worldwide is expanding its mission to include civilians at home… The center will now also look at ‘what particular diseases and other health threats and issues might be imported or might cause illness or injury to U.S. citizen and forces here in the homeland.’ “
To read the article, click here.
6. Malaria on the Increase in the UK
Malaria on the Increase in the UK (ScienceDaily, July 9, 2008)
Diseases have no boundaries; they move in the air we breathe, on planes, trains, and buses. In light of the increasing transmission of malaria in the UK over the past 20 years, the WHO is calling for “...research into cultural beliefs, knowledge, and attitude towards malaria prevention in people visiting friends and relatives in malaria endemic countries…”
To read the article, click here.
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7. CSIS HIV/AIDS Task Force Final Conference
Date: July 15, 2008
Location: Russell Senate Office Building, Rm. 385
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
For more information, click here.
8. AIDS in Asia: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Date: July 16, 2008
Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm. B-354
Time: 5:00-7:00pm
For more information and to RSVP, click here.
9. Committee on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health
This will be the second public committee meeting of the Committee on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health at the Keck Center of the National Academies
Date: July 21, 2008
For more information and to RSVP, please click here.
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