House Panel Holds Hearing on Global Tuberculosis
On July 12, the House Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith(R-NJ), held a hearing on tuberculosis in Southern Africa. The hearing featured testimony from a U.S. government (USG) agency panel which included Deborah L. Birx, MD, U.S. Global AIDS coordinator in the U.S. Department of State; Irene Koek, Sr., deputy assistant administrator of the Global Health Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development; and Rebecca Martin, PhD, director of the Center for Global Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to Chairman Smith, the hearing was attended by subcommittee Ranking Member Karen Bass (D-CA), Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Joaquin Castro (D-TX). Subcommittee members questioned the USG witnesses on issues including progress in TB diagnosis and treatment, provider education, the status of new TB drug development, TB in pregnant women and the cost-effectiveness of TB interventions. Pointing to the United Nations High Level Meeting in Tuberculosis, on Sept. 26, 2018, as a major opportunity to accelerate progress against TB, Chairman Smith urged strong leadership from the U.S., saying, “We must not be complacent in any way about the need to work to end TB.”Last Reviewed: July 17, 2017
