Recent news
January 2012
GHTC member argues against cuts to vital military medical research
January 23, 2012 -- GHTC member the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) recently wrote an opinion piece for the Atlantic, urging against cuts to critical medical research that is protecting American troops from tropical diseases. Peter Hotez and James Kazura—the past and current presidents of ASTMH, respectively—highlight the cost-effective programs at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) that have been saving lives for decades. According to the authors, research supported by WRAIR continues to help soldiers as they travel around the world and come into contact with dangerous tropical disease threats.
WRAIR has an impressive history as an institution, rich with many research achievements that have helped save lives worldwide. More than 100 years ago, WRAIR began as the Army Medical School, which started developing some of the first treatments to fight dysentery and malaria. The school also began producing vaccines for many diseases, such as typhoid fever and dengue. More recently, WRAIR contributed to critical research progress toward developing vaccines for HIV/AIDS and malaria.
The authors argue that Congress and the Department of Defense should consider the many research breakthroughs supported by WRAIR before reducing its budget and jeopardizing the health of the soldiers who face deadly tropical diseases while in the line of duty. For instance, the leishmaniasis diagnostic laboratory, which WRAIR operates, is the only facility of its kind worldwide. This lab houses critical expertise and capabilities to fight one of the most devastating tropical diseases that American troops are at risk of contracting when serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. If funding for this military research is cut, it will jeopardize the safety and readiness of US troops, the authors write. They add that crucial research is being conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, where solders are exposed to the largest number of tropical diseases in the world.
“We need a strong and active military medical presence in global conflict hotspots such as the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Strangling WRAIR with ever worsening budget cuts threatens the safety of our troops and their mission readiness, as well as the health of our returning veterans. Cutting WRAIR will deprive our troops and also the world's poorest people of one of America's greatest global health treasures. Both our national and our global security depend on a strengthened and robust WRAIR,” the authors conclude.
- Read the full piece in the Atlantic here
