Departing CDC Director Says Bioterrorism Must Not ‘Overshadow’ Other Public Health Priorities Such as AIDS
Departing CDC Director Jeffrey Koplan, speaking yesterday at a press conference announcing he would become vice president for academic health affairs at Emory University, "stressed that while bioterrorism preparedness is more important than ever, it must not overshadow the CDC's commitment to other initiatives," such as AIDS, the Wall Street Journal reports (Carrns, Wall Street Journal, 3/26). "HIV is right up at the top, as are malaria, tuberculosis, tobacco use, overweight and obesity," Koplan said, noting that he recently returned from China, where HIV/AIDS is a "significant problem" (Altman, New York Times, 3/26). "If we become the Centers for Bioterrorism, rather than disease control, we would not be serving the public," he said. Koplan announced his resignation last month amid criticism that the agency "mov[ed] too slowly and communicat[ed] poorly" with the public regarding the anthrax attacks. HHS has not yet named a successor (Wall Street Journal, 3/26).
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