To the editor:
In December 2013, Ebola claimed three victims.
By October 2014, that number had ballooned over a thousand-fold and people worldwide were panicking at the prospect of this killer disease ending up on their shores.
Massive budget shortfalls at the World Health Organization played a critical role in the failure to stop Ebola, showing the frightening consequence of short-sighted health funding.
Unfortunately, the Canada’s Conservative government is poised to repeat the world’s mistake in West Africa. Five years ago, this same government – once a great supporter of tuberculosis eradication – launched TB REACH, a fund that seeks out the hardest to reach tuberculosis (TB) sufferers.
TB Reach has been proven enormously successful, greatly reducing the number of infected individuals in areas where TB is difficult to detect and treat.
TB has enormous impact in the developing world, and the consequence of sporadic funding and treatment is the evolution of new and deadly TB strains resistant to drug treatment. Like Ebola, TB travels worldwide.
Despite the great success of TB REACH, International Development Minister Christian Paradis is prepared to halt funding of this successful, cost-effective program – a fateful decision that will allow TB to spread, evolve and threaten the globe.
In the face of the Ebola catastrophe, it’s staggering to witness such short-sighted budgeting by the Conservatives.
Nathaniel Poole
Victoria
