The Infectious Diseases Society of America stands ready to work with Dr. Robert Redfield as he takes the helm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We hope that as an HIV researcher and clinician, Dr. Redfield will champion robust and sustained investments in both biomedical research and public health infrastructure. Such investments ensure access to medical services across the continuum of care including prevention, detection, and treatment of infectious diseases. Resistance among pathogens to antimicrobial agents is an ongoing high-level problem whether due to bacteria, fungi or viruses. We are optimistic that Dr. Redfield’s background should prove valuable in understanding the broad impact of opioid drugs on individual and public health. Sufficient and available medically-assisted therapy for heroin addiction through integrated treatment programs addressing both infectious diseases and opioid use will be essential. As a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and a leader of the Institute of Human Virology with its international programs, Dr. Redfield has demonstrated commitment to addressing the global security threats of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in our ever increasingly connected world.
Leadership that recognizes public health threats and opportunities at a federal level to protect both patients and communities is more critical now than ever. A short and by no means comprehensive list of challenges we currently face include the impact of the national opioid crisis and its related infections such as endocarditis, HIV, and hepatitis C as well as rising rates of antimicrobial resistance and outbreaks of measles. Global health security is best achieved through surveillance and active programs in countries where we have seen rapid emergence of outbreaks that threaten to jump across borders and oceans such as Ebola, Zika, and yellow fever viruses.
We recognize that Dr. Redfield will need sufficient resources for the CDC to confront the current range of public health challenges. IDSA continues to actively voice our opposition to White House proposed cuts to nearly all of CDC's infectious diseases programs that, if enacted, would threaten our national capacity to protect American health.
As a long-standing partner with CDC infectious disease programs and initiatives including domestic and global public health emergency preparedness and responses, antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, HIV prevention, treatment, and communication, we offer Dr. Redfield our assistance in the challenges ahead.