This is very important and is completely flying under the radar. The trump administration is trying to prevent progress in stopping the trend of resistant micro-organisms. This action would result in countless people being infected with untreatable micro-organisms. There is no reason for this. The statement below is by the IDSA, the Infectious Disease Society of America, a professional society with no political ties.
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IDSA Leads Diverse Group Calling for Antimicrobial Resistance Funding
06/27/2017
Today the Infectious Diseases Society of America is sending a letter signed by more than 60 organizations calling upon congressional appropriations leaders to reject the President’s proposed cuts to federal funding to address antimicrobial resistance and to maintain the bipartisan congressional commitment to this issue. As the letter details, stemming the threat that antimicrobial resistance poses to patient safety and public health requires a multifaceted domestic and global response across medical and agriculture sectors.
In addition to proposing deep reductions to funding for activities to prevent, track and respond to antimicrobial resistance across multiple agencies, President Trump has also proposed shifting all funding for CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative to the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Congress is actively working to repeal this fund, thereby jeopardizing the very existence of CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative. Eliminating this funding would dismantle our nation’s infrastructure for preventing, detecting, and tracking threats from antimicrobial resistance.
A proposal to rescind America’s commitment to strategic efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance is in striking contrast to global efforts in this area. If Congress does not sustain funding for efforts to confront antimicrobial resistance, our surveillance, stewardship and research will stall. Organizations and companies including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Veterinary Medical Association,Glaxo Smith Kline, Global Health Council, and March of Dimes joined IDSA urging Congress to maintain its support for federal activities to combat antimicrobial resistance, highlighting diverse commitment to this issue and the fact that antimicrobial resistance impacts us all.