Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Opinion: Candidates, help Atlanta, world end HIV, other pandemics
Jonathan Colasanti, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University and associate medical director in the Infectious Disease Program of Grady Health System

“…[A] critical issue overlooked thus far [by Democratic presidential candidates] is how the next President will tackle today and tomorrow’s infectious disease epidemics … Renewed U.S. leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS globally is our best strategy for ending this epidemic for good. Beyond HIV, pandemics due to tuberculosis and malaria surge on and the next infectious disease pandemic looms around the corner with ongoing outbreaks around world, such as Ebola. … I join many other scientists, doctors, health and environmental activists, and faith groups around the country in this call to the candidates: commit to ending the pandemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around the world — including here in Atlanta — by doubling U.S. investment in a transformative whole-of-government effort to both end these pandemics and ensure low- and middle-income countries can detect diseases and advance the health of their people before outbreaks become pandemics. Protecting American lives depends on lifting up the health of the most vulnerable, globally, through strategic investments in health workforce, infrastructure, laboratories, and data systems…” (11/20).