The next global outbreak of infectious disease could hinder the U.S.'s export economy and threaten domestic jobs, even if the outbreak remains abroad, according to two CDC studies published in the journal Health Security.
For the first study, researchers examined data from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the year 2015 to assess the value of U.S. exports to 49 countries where the CDC works to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats. In 2015, the U.S. exported more than $300 billion in material goods and services to the 49 nations. This commerce supported 1.6 million American jobs across all 50 states. If an outbreak struck one of these nations, it would likely hinder demand for American exports, researchers found.
For the second study, researchers applied World Bank estimates developed to assess the fiscal effect of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak on West Africa. The World Bank estimated the outbreak contributed to a 3.3 to 16.1 percent reduction in gross domestic product. Researchers applied this scale to a hypothetical outbreak in the key economic region of Southeast Asia. If an outbreak hit nine nations in the region, U.S. export revenues could drop by $40 billion and$1 million American jobs could be at risk.
The CDC said the studies highlight the importance of President Donald Trump's budgetary request for $59 million in additional funds for the Global Health Security Agenda.
"The president's budget request of $59 million for fiscal year 2019 for GHSA demonstrates the Administration's commitment to global health security and provides an important bridge to the extension of the GHSA announced in October 2017 in Uganda," said Anne Schuchat, MD, acting director of the CDC. "This new funding continues the U.S. commitment to this multinational effort and supplements U.S. Government multisector support for this initiative."
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