[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     EFFORTS TO COMBAT TUBERCULOSIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2007

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address a deadly 
epidemic that is facing our planet today--tuberculosis. We have learned 
that no country, no matter how advanced its health infrastructure, is 
no longer immune from tuberculosis (TB).
  Fortunately, through the generosity of the Bill & Melinda Gates 
Foundation, and leadership in the U.S. Congress, we can make a major 
difference in developing urgently needed tools to fight this problem. 
On September 18, the Gates Foundation announced new funding in the 
fight to stop TB by granting $280 million to several organizations 
creating new tools to curb this disease, including the largest single 
award to any research or product development organization--$200 million 
to the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, which is located in my 
congressional district.
  Those who live in the developing countries know this disease every 
day. This global epidemic has confronted us in several ways in the last 
few months. The case of the airline passenger infected with drug-
resistant tuberculosis reminded Americans how vulnerable we all are to 
a disease we thought was a problem of the past or an affliction just 
affecting the developing world. In this truly global world, diseases 
such as tuberculosis know no boundaries.
  The statistics are staggering. TB kills 1.6 million people per year, 
or 4,400 every single day. It is the largest killer worldwide of women 
of reproductive age and of people with HIV/AIDS. TB bacilli are in the 
bodies of one out of every three people in the world today. This 
devastating disease is challenging the best health systems and is 
threatening the lives of thousands in the developing world.
  But Congress is not sitting still in the face of such troubling 
events. Just recently, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the 
House Foreign Affairs Committee reported out the Stop TB Now Act of 
2007, which commits this country to a new recognition of the threat of 
TB and a larger effort to finally rid this planet of this scourge. And 
the House provides $313 million for global TB efforts in its FY 2008 
State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
  These efforts follow the bold, innovative, heartfelt, and committed 
leadership of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As important as the 
Gates Foundation's latest $280 million investment in tuberculosis is, 
it is not enough. A new vaccine candidate must go through large and 
expensive clinical trials, involving thousands of people and costing 
over hundreds of millions of dollars.
  Private philanthropy cannot be the only solution to this important 
challenge. It is only right that the United States government, and 
other donor governments, step up to the plate and finish the job.
  Vaccines are the key to ending epidemics. They are among the most 
medically and economically effective health interventions available. 
The United States already funds research to develop much-needed 
vaccines for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other global diseases. Funding TB 
vaccine development is a logical and humanitarian next step for us to 
take. European donors are already contributing to this fight; for 
example, the government of the Netherlands has made a sizable 
commitment of approximately $25 million to the Aeras Global TB Vaccine 
Foundation for vaccine development. The United States should shoulder 
our fair share of this important shared mission.
  I urge my colleagues to appropriate the necessary resources to 
complete this vital work and follow the outstanding leadership 
demonstrated by the Gates Foundation's generous investment in TB 
research.