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Global Health
Through my travels in Africa, I have seen and heard firsthand the devastating impact that HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are having on communities. I have worked hard in the Senate to raise awareness about this impact as the chairman of the Subcommittee on African Affairs and former co-chair of the CSIS Task Force on HIV/AIDS. In recent years, increased U.S. global health assistance has helped save millions of lives. I have also seen firsthand—as I know many Americans have—the tremendous good will generated for the United States by our leadership in global health. For these reasons and more, I strongly support continued American leadership in global health, while advocating for a U.S. global health strategy that is more comprehensive, integrated and sustainable.
Promoting Strategic U.S. Leadership in Global Health
August 6, 2009 - Press release on the launch of the first-ever bipartisan Senate Working Group on Malaria.
June 9, 2009 – Opening statement at nomination hearing for the new U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator: "We need to strengthen the coordination of all of our global health programs, and ultimately bring them together under one overarching strategy. The failure to integrate our programs is not only inefficient but it places a great burden on patients, and can ultimately render our efforts ineffective."
May 6, 2009 – Statement on the President’s budget plan for global health: "Moreover, as demonstrated by the recent outbreak of swine flu, we need to ensure our assistance supports strong local health systems that can deliver interventions when and where they are needed, and provide access to reliable health information and effective disease surveillance."
April 22, 2009 – Statement for the Congressional record on World Malaria Day: "In addition to commemorating how far we have come, World Malaria Day is also an opportunity to recognize how far we still need to go. This disease is completely preventable and treatable and yet more than 40 percent of the world’s population is still at risk of contracting malaria and nearly one million people, the majority of them children, die from malaria each year."
March 24, 2009 – Statement on World TB Day: "Thanks to public leadership and technological advancements, there has been substantial progress over recent years to trace and treat this disease, and infection rates in several regions have stagnated and in some cases even declined. Nonetheless, billions of people, especially in Africa, continue to be infected, with over one million deaths each year."
February 23, 2009 – Statement for the Congressional record on American leadership in global health: "I believe it is essential that we continue to lead in global health. It should not be question of whether we do so, but a question of how we do so in a time of limited resources. We need an approach that maximizes efficiency, demonstrates real results, and fully leverages our programs toward our broader foreign policy objectives."
December 1, 2008 – Statement on World AIDS Day: "But despite this progress, HIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s worst public health crises and the number of infections continues to rise in some countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Even across the United States, HIV appears to be on the rise in many cities. We must intensify our efforts both at home and abroad to reduce the number of infections."
July 15, 2008 – Speech at CSIS HIV/AIDS Task Force final conference: "Beyond renewing the U.S. commitment to HIV/AIDS, there is much work to be done to build on the progress that has been made and adapt to emerging challenges. We cannot treat our way out of this epidemic, and so need to be exploring and investing in new prevention techniques to stem the spread of HIV."
July 14, 2008 – Floor statement in support of PEPFAR reauthorization: "I rise today to express my strong support for the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Reauthorization Act. Although we have made significant headway over the last 5 years, the HIV/AIDS pandemic remains one of the world's worst public health crises, with millions of people infected around the globe and millions more who have already perished. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa, and because of the disease’s disproportionate impact on sub-Saharan Africa, I would like to focus my remarks today on that region to illustrate just how critical—and urgent—it is that we pass this bill."
April 25, 2008 – Statement on first-ever World Malaria Day: "The U.S. and international efforts to combat malaria, an often invisible killer, are critical in the fight against a disease we deal with infrequently here in the United States. Malaria is no longer perceived as a threat to us – particularly when compared with the devastation wrought by HIV or cancer – but in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia, malaria is anything but invisible. In these parts of the world, a child dies of malaria every thirty seconds."
October 16, 2007 – Speech to CSIS HIV/AIDS Task Force on Priorities for PEPFAR Reauthorization: "One key aspect of prevention is family planning, which includes reproductive health and mother-to-child transmission. In many parts of Uganda, Africa, and the developing world in general, there is widespread demand for modern birth control methods, but these are not always available. How can HIV/AIDS be combated if these demands cannot be met? Equally relevant, what effect does the rapid population growth occurring in many of these countries have on their HIV/AIDS epidemics and efforts to combat the disease?"
May 30, 2007 – Statement on the President's call for more HIV/AIDS assistance: "I am pleased that President Bush recognizes the dire need for more assistance to battle the global AIDS epidemic, especially in Africa. With the energy and resources provided by PEPFAR and other programs, there has been impressive progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS worldwide, but the battle is far from won."
February 12, 2004 – Statement at meeting of Center for Strategic and International Studies HIV/AIDS Task Force: "I am delighted to be participating in the important work of this Task Force, and am honored to be in the company of so many distinguished experts who have devoted so much intellectual firepower, so much practical effort, and so many long hours to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
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