The
Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to
include $1.5 billion in pandemic preparedness in a defense and
foreign aid spending bill. The move comes in the wake of the recent
swine flu wave, and amidst revelations that lawmakers removed nearly
$900 million in flu pandemic preparedness funding from the recent
stimulus package.
Democrats
had removed $870 million in flu pandemic funding from the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act in order to gain support from
Republicans, who generally opposed the measure due to its high cost.
Once the swine flu began infecting thousands of people around the
world, lawmakers raced to re-fund the program. And though the
majority of cases of swine flu thus far have been considered mild,
World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan Friday
warned against a false sense of security, suggesting that the worst
might not be over. Many epidemiologists and public health officials
are predicting a resurgence of the H1N1 (swine flu) strain of
influenza this fall.
Also
on Friday, President Obama named New York City Health Commissioner
Dr. Thomas Frieden to the top spot at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Frieden will assume his new role in June. In addition
to crusading for healthcare change in New York City, Frieden is also
a renowned expert on infectious disease.