New federal bureau focused on global disease response

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Department of State has launched a new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, the goal of which is to improve international cooperation to stem the spread of disease.

"We have to be ready, and the world at large has to be ready," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Tuesday news conference.

He said the U.S. is taking the lead to prevent future pandemics. The new bureau was designed to help streamline how countries detect and respond to diseases like HIV/AIDS and prevent outbreaks.

"I can't think of a more important endeavor at a more critical time," Blinken said.

He said the new bureau will help modernize the World Health Organization and how it's funded, as well as strengthen the global supply chain.

The WHO says COVID-19 has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide. A 2021 study estimated that environmental changes meant the likelihood of another pandemic, just as deadly, will double in the coming decades.

Josh Michaud, the associate director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the changing planet underscores the need for global leadership. But he said it will only work if the U.S. stays committed.

"I think we have a history from Ebola and other epidemics in the past of surging to meet a threat … but then kind of forgetting about it," Michaud said. "It's a recipe for disaster."

Blinken said the new initiative builds on decades of global partnerships that are working to eradicate diseases like malaria.

"Those efforts over the years have literally saved millions of lives," he said.