Huffington Post: Lessons Not Yet Learned: Ebola, Zika, and Global Health Security
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)

“Despite a decade of lessons learned from fighting global health disasters like avian flu, SARS, and most recently Ebola, the United States continues to use an ineffective ‘crisis-by-crisis’ approach to combat health emergencies. … We need to put in place a system that can rapidly mobilize against infectious diseases instead of relying on a fragmented, reactive approach each time a crisis appears. … Let’s appoint a single entity to coordinate a U.S. response to health care epidemics. Let’s build a national strategy against communicable diseases by investing in our agencies with the capacity to develop tests, vaccine candidates, and educational tools. Let’s strengthen communication and collaboration with our international partners so that we truly are ready to detect, prevent, and respond to Zika and the next threat. Let us not wait until the next global health crisis to develop a lasting solution that reinforces global health security for decades to come” (5/13).