Global Health Council: Local And Global Protection From West Nile Virus 10/30/2002
From: Lynnette Johnson Williams, Press Secretary of the Global Health Council, 202-327-5003 or 202-255-0565 (cell) DENVER, Colo., Oct. 30 -- Local and global health leaders met in Denver today to review the origins of the West Nile virus and strategies to contain, control and treat the disease nationally and in Colorado. The Denver forum is one in a series of Local-Global Health Forums sponsored by the Global Health Council, the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to improving health worldwide. The forum, "The West Nile Virus Threat: Protecting Colorado's Health in an Era of Globalization," highlighted the growing concerns of West Nile Virus in Colorado. "For our own safety, it is vital to look beyond our own borders," said Dr. Nils Daulaire, President and CEO of the Global Health Council. "By helping others to stop infectious diseases in their own backyards where they start, we protect ourselves. West Nile proves what happens when we don't do that. Research here at home into new and better drugs for treatment and prevention also helps everyone around the world control the spread of dangerous diseases." Daulaire spoke to a diverse audience of public health professionals, agricultural leaders, veterinarians, community-based organizations, and members of the government and business communities. Dr. James Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continuing to help all 48 continental states enhance their epidemiological and laboratory capacities to detect and control the West Nile virus. "West Nile Virus is challenging, but we have clear evidence that infectious diseases can be controlled in the United States and even in the world's most impoverished regions," said Hughes. "While we cannot expect to totally prevent the migration of viruses from one part of the world to another, our best efforts should, and do, concentrate on the steps outlined in the U.S. emerging infectious disease plan. The plan calls for strong surveillance for early detection and response, well-equipped labs and a cadre of public health officials trained and equipped to confront and control viruses." John Pape, an epidemiologist with the Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, provided a description of the local implications of West Nile Virus and what is being done in Colorado to address this public health problem. The Global Health Council teamed with the following local leaders to develop the forum: AARP; Better World Campaign; Business Council for Healthcare Competition; Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry; Colorado Association of Health Plans; and Colorado Farm Bureau. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation also supported the forum. Previous local-global health forum locations have included Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Seattle, Tucson and Washington, DC. ------ The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to advancing policies and programs that improve health around the world. For more information on the Global Health Council, visit http://www.globalhealth.org. |