Download Global Health Protection – Global Disease Detection Centers for

Global Health Protection – Global Disease Detection
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Office of Global Health
FY 2017 Labor HHS Appropriations Bill
FY2015
Global Health Protection
(CDC)
Global Disease
Detection
$55,119,000
$45,360,000
FY2016
FY2017
President
$65,200,000
FY2017
TFAH
$65,200,000
$45,400,000 $50,400,000
$50,400,000
$55,200,000
Background: The CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection (DGHP) protects Americans
and people around the world from the leading public health threats. The Division builds the
capacities of local, national and regional public health to detect emerging threats, prevent disease
and prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. The centerpiece of the division is the
Global Disease Detection (GDD) program, which supports GDD Centers in 10 countries
(Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Georgia and the South Caucasus, Guatemala and Central America,
India, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Kenya, South Africa and Thailand) and has extended a
regional reach and support to 50 countries. The GDD Centers work with local ministries of
health to develop core capacities such as emerging infectious disease detection and response,
field epidemiology and laboratory training, pandemic flu preparedness and response, zoonotic
disease detection and control, health communication and information technology, and laboratory
systems and biosafety, as well as cooperative agreements with academic partners and ministries
of health. The reach of GDD centers extends far beyond national borders:
Source: CDC, 2016
Impact:
Since its inception in 2004, GDD has achieved significant accomplishments:
• Outbreak Response: GDD regional centers have provided rapid response to more than
1,700 disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies, including Ebola in West
Africa, chikungunya in Central America, Human H5N1 influenza in Egypt and Thailand,
and Anthrax in Bangladesh. Two-thirds of outbreaks received a response within 24 hours
of the request for assistance, and 76% of outbreaks involved laboratory support. For
example, in recent years, GDD regional centers have worked with the country of Georgia
to work toward its goal of eliminating Hepatitis C, coordinated the response to a diarrheal
illness outbreak in India, and helped Guatemala set up its first Emergency Operations
Center. The Guatemala GDD Regional Center and the Field Epidemiology Training
Program (FETP) have been assisting with the Zika outbreak by providing laboratory and
epidemiological assistance to Colombia, developing briefing materials for the new US
Ambassador to Ecuador, lending outbreak investigation support to Guatemala, Honduras,
El Salvador, and Colombia, assisting with health communications and translations and
conducing, and a regional medical teleconference for several Embassies and medical
units.
• Pathogen Discovery: GDD has developed 289 pathogen-specific tests in 59 countries,
identified 78 pathogens that were new to the region and 12 pathogens that were
discovered for the first time anywhere in the world.
• Training: GDD builds public health capacity on the ground, including through training.
The number of Field Epidemiology Training Program-trained epidemiologists in GDD
Center regions has increased to 676 (from 26 in 2006). Many of these participants work
in public health positions within their countries. CDC estimates that up to 29,000
additional epidemiologists are needed worldwide to meet the Global Health Security
Agenda goal of one epidemiologist for every 200,000 people. GDD has also provided
short-term public health training to nearly 100,000 people worldwide.
• Surveillance: In 2014, GDD conducted disease surveillance on hospital-acquired
infections, bacterial blood stream infections, diarrheal disease, flu, TB and a number of
other diseases. In total, 75 million people are covered by GDD-supported surveillance.
These programs are used to detect outbreaks and impact public health decisions. Thanks
to GDD, Thai public health labs are able to conduct rapid tests for viruses like Zika and
support border surveillance for febrile illness.
• Building Network Capacity: GDD works with WHO and local ministries of health to
advance the ability of countries to meet International Health Regulations. Six GDD
Centers (Bangladesh, Kenya, Thailand, India, Georgia and Kazakhstan) are located in
Global Health Security Agenda partner countries and are key to implementation of the
GHSA. GDD Thailand is an example of a center that is now a regional leader in public
health and now works with other countries in the region on their Ebola and infectious
disease outbreak response plans. As a result of GDD information on the burden of flu in
the region, Thailand invested $97 million in its own influenza program.
Recommendation: TFAH supports the President’s request of $65.2 million for the Global
Health Protection line, including a $5 million increase for the Global Disease Detection program.
Through this funding, CDC anticipates continuing to build global health capacity worldwide.
2 Source: CDC Global Health Protection and Security: Global Disease Detection (GDD) Program. http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/gdd/index.html (January 2016).