U.S. should help others to fight disease

While the United States is loosening up restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, many other countries around the world are struggling. As the global death toll continues to rise, the United States must take the lead and invest in global health security. As an ambassador for The Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy, and a resident of Pennsylvania, I am calling upon Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, RPa., to co-sponsor the Global Health Security Act.

This virus poses domestic and international threats to health security, especially in developing countries, who are already at a disadvantage. Without the assistance of the United States and other global powerhouses, this disease will never truly be eliminated, as many developing nations do not have the resources that wealthy nations possess. In fact, children in low-income countries are more than 100 times more likely to die from infectious diseases.

The Global Health Security Act will establish a Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review Council, which will provide policy-level recommendations to participating agencies on measurable goals, objectives and implementation measures. Overall, the bill will increase the U.S. government’s efforts to support epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevent infectious disease threats.

Finally, I urge fellow Pennsylvanians to reach out to members of Congress in support of the Global Health Security Act and express the immediate need for this legislation.

ALEXA MELLIS Pine