The Hill: Fighting pandemics abroad is in our own best interest
Jonathan Fielding, professor of public health and pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles

“…[The U.S. has] been at the forefront of fighting diseases, which often start in Asian or African countries needing rapid assistance to curtail their spread, keep down death tolls, and prevent those diseases from gaining a foothold here. … Leadership is crucial because many low-income countries, as starkly illustrated by the delayed response to the Ebola epidemic, do not have the infrastructure to quickly identify and track epidemics or provide needed medical care. … We need to be prepared — not only against pandemics, but epidemics that threaten to become pandemics and to anticipate potential unknowns. Investment in global public health is, in the end — less costly, more effective and safer for everyone” (6/21).