‘A Legacy of Progress’ at Risk: Baltimore Sun Op-ed Warns of Devastating Impacts of Disease Prevention Cuts
The Baltimore Sun published a powerful opinion piece by Dr. Angela Weaver, Helen Keller Intl’s Vice President of Neglected Tropical Diseases. In it, Angela looks back on the remarkable progress made in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases – and warns that this hard-won progress could all be lost.
For nearly two decades, the US government partnered with countries around the world to combat neglected tropical diseases. Helen Keller served as the lead implementing partner in six West African nations: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Sierra Leone, but funding for that work was abruptly terminated.
“These parasitic and bacterial diseases have plagued the world for a long time,” says Angela. “They stunt the growth of children and contribute to malnutrition. They prevent children from being able to learn. They cause blindness. They prevent people from working and participating in society. They keep families in a vicious cycle of poverty. And they are entirely preventable.”
The US-led initiative achieved remarkable success, helping to treat 1.7 billion people in more than 30 countries. The program was “the gold standard in terms of effectiveness,” says Angela, and “a model of public-private partnership.” Every dollar invested by the federal government on programs and training leveraged $26 in donated medicines from pharmaceutical companies.
“But we are about to squander this legacy of progress,” warns Angela. “When health workers can’t do their jobs, the diseases they treat will come back with a vengeance.”
Read the full opinion piece here.
