Center for Global Health

Description

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s Center for Global Health (CGH) coordinates global health activities across the agency and works to save lives, reduce disease, and improve health worldwide. It has played a critical role in the COVID-19 response.

What does it buy?

Funding supports CGH’s activities to help countries identify and stop health threats close to the source. It allows the CDC to respond rapidly in the case of a disease outbreak, accurately track global health threats travelers bring into the U.S., and protect Americans through research and development of diagnostics, drugs, and other technologies. Funding also supports efforts to address a severe worldwide shortage of public health workers and build relationships with ministries of health.

Why is it important?

• CGH conducts vital surveillance and response activities to prevent epidemics and protect U.S. and global health. The CDC monitors 30 to 40 potential health threats each day, and since 2006, it has responded to over 1,900 outbreaks and health emergencies, including COVID-19, Ebola, Zika, and avian influenza.
• Programs expand the global health workforce.
  • CGH’s global health security investments have helped train more than 18,000 disease detectives in over 80 countries through its global Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). These public health professionals are the front line, helping to respond to health threats more rapidly and effectively worldwide.
• CGH’s global polio immunization work has made significant strides toward a polio-free future.
  • 80% of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free regions.
  • There has been a 99% reduction in wild polio cases, and there are only three countries where wild poliovirus remains.

Why should Americans care?

• Protecting America’s economy and national security means safeguarding against disease outbreaks. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, infectious diseases are global threats, and American lives, travel, trade, and jobs are at stake. CGH works to prevent, detect, and respond to these public health threats before they reach U.S. shores.
• CGH’s work protects overseas demand for U.S. exports that support millions of jobs in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.

COVID-19 Impacts

• The CGH has been at the forefront of the global effort to stifle the spread and effects of COVID-19 in the world’s most vulnerable countries.
• In conjunction with other health ministries and multilateral organizations, the CGH shares technical, scientific, and material support to collectively combat the pandemic.
• As gaps and needs in field operations become more apparent due to the pandemic, further funding will be needed to support the CGH’s efforts.

What more could be done?

• Growing drug resistance threatens progress against global killers such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB. Insecticide resistance challenges our ability to combat malaria and FUNDING HISTORY other mosquito-borne diseases. Additional investment for disease surveillance and research is key to monitoring and understanding the scale of these problems and developing, evaluating, and deploying interventions.
• Additional investment could strengthen CGH’s global TB program with a focus on elimination programs in highly burdened countries.
• Increased funding could strengthen CGH’s partnership in co-implementing PEPFAR and PMI, which are critical to expanding the number of patients receiving treatment and increasing evaluation, research, and development.
• More funding could be used to scale up CGH’s most effective WASH interventions to treat and safely store water in homes, schools, and health care facilities and integrate sanitation and hygiene programs in schools and communities.