Funding Zika But Forgetting Tuberculosis

On February 8, the day before the White House sent its Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget request to Congress, President Obama requested $1.8 billion in emergency funding to respond to the Zika virus at home and abroad. The World Health Organization (WHO) has proclaimed Zika a “public health emergency of international concern,” and governments have been in panic mode. But while there is certainly sufficient cause for alarm, let us not forget another grave threat to public health, which kills 4,400 people every single day and receives relatively little focus: Tuberculosis (TB). TB has now surpassed HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death globally. In 2014 alone, 1.5 million people died from TB. In comparison, 1.2 million people died of HIV/AIDS during the same time period. With these startling statistics, it was a blow to the TB community when President Obama released his budget request for FY 2017, which once again would cut the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) funding for TB by 19 percent. The White House budget requested $191 million, down from $236 million in FY 2016 and the lowest level of spending on TB by the United States since 2009. Understanding The TB Epidemic It is crucial for policymakers and the general public to understand the importance of funding TB programs worldwide. With the disease’s complexity, strict treatment regimen, and the severe side effects of treatment, it is easy to see why TB is now the number one infectious kil...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Featured Global Health Public Health 2017 budget infectious disease Obama TB tuberculosis USAID WHO Source Type: blogs