Letter to the editor: We must fight infectious disease globally

At least one county in West Virginia is trying to prevent people from crossing borders by stopping the sale of liquor to out-of-state residents (“West Virginia county bans liquor sales to out-of-state residents including Pennsylvanians,” April 4, TribLIVE). This may be effective to stop the movement of some people, but stopping viruses and bacteria will take a more comprehensive response.

Knowing that you will get turned away at the checkout aisle and be kept from your wine and booze may keep you out of West Virginia, but infectious diseases are more relentless. The good news is that we already have a systematic response that is effective in stopping global infectious diseases. Congress funds the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has saved tens of millions of lives over the past 20 years, in many countries all over the world.

As covid-19 has taught us, no infectious disease is local. Congress must prioritize global health systems, alongside the domestic response, as we move forward together. People living in poorer settings must not bear the brunt of global pandemics. Whether it’s coronavirus or other ongoing global health emergencies, like tuberculosis or HIV, we need a strong global response that honors the needs and human rights of people in poverty.

I call on my senators, Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, and my representative, Mike Doyle, to continue to fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria so that we can rely on effective disease prevention — and get our liquor wherever we want.

Ben Callaway

Lawrenceville