'Better coordination' needed to tackle infectious diseases

A non-profit health organisation has called for better controls to tackle infectious diseases like HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in the US at a news conference.

Trust for America's Health estimated 170,000 Americans die each year from infectious diseases for which there are no cures.

It claimed US research was non existent because it was more profitable for companies to look at combating infectious diseases in the developing world, CIDRAP reported.

Speaking to the press, Maine's state epidemiologist Kathleen Gensheimer said: "We also have the diseases of old that continually threaten us."

A "robust, coordinated capability" was needed to tackle the health threat, including private research, improving public health capacity, surveillance and testing.

The group called on congress to act and channel more funding into controlling infectious diseases in the US.

According to Aids charity Avert, 33 million people had HIV of whom 448,871 lived in America.

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