New report recommends policies to help United States achieve higher level of global health security

To achieve a goal of global health security, the United States must extend its legacy as a global leader through forward-looking policies, international partnerships, and continued investment into innovate medical advancements, according to a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The report serves to provide recommendations to policymakers in the United States in order to achieve better global health security.

“The health and well-being of other countries both directly and indirectly affect the health, safety, and economic security of Americans,” Valentin Fuller, physician-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, said. “The U.S. government should maintain its leadership position in global health as a matter of urgent national interest and as a global public benefit that enhances America’s international standing.”

An issue cited by the report was the reactionary, uncoordinated nature of the national and global health responses to outbreaks of pandemic influenza, Ebola virus disease, and Zika virus.

To address potential response issues, the report recommended that the presidential administration create a coordinating body within the U.S. government with the authority and budget to develop a proactive, cost-effective, and comprehensive approach to response in international health emergencies.

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Agriculture, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should continue investments at the international level to improve response capabilities against scenarios of antimicrobial resistance. The report also posits that the president should enhance the preparedness and response capacity in low- and middle-income countries through training and educational efforts.

The Academies also suggested that the United States maintain a sustained response to the threats of communicable diseases and HIV-AIDS, that latter’s focus centering on the continuance of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

To maximize returns on investments made in a variety of priority areas, the report suggests the United States catalyze innovation through the accelerated development of medical products and integrated digital infrastructure, employ more financing mechanisms to leverage new partners and funders in global health, and maintain the country’s status as a world leader in global health while adhering to evidence-based science and economics.