Atul Gawande, Advocating for a Global Immune System
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To secure equitable global health and security, the world needs its own immune system. That’s the message from surgeon and author Atul Gawande, who leads global health assistance for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The current strategy is emergency-driven, rarely going beyond reactive responses to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and the violence that undermines health. Long-term, capacity-building investments would instead allow early and swift responses that emphasize prevention and early detection, fostering partnerships and learnings so the system emerges stronger after any assault.
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