CNN: Chelsea Clinton: The lurking threat to child survival
Chelsea Clinton, adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, and Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at University of Edinburgh’s Medical School and board member of Save the Children U.K.

“…While … outbreaks [like Ebola and MERS] are tragic and scary, and need resources to be contained effectively, inadvertently they draw billions of dollars from domestic budgets and external donors away from core health work. They claim the attention of political leaders and researchers alike, who suddenly find themselves developing the requisite policies and expertise to manage the crises, rather than staying the course on improving general public health and increasing the chance that a baby born today will survive tomorrow and in the months ahead. … There is no simple solution. And all health problems — whether it’s Ebola or child mortality — need resources. We will do well to keep focusing on strengthening health systems and improving health workforces so that we can prevent future emergency infectious disease outbreaks as well as provide the basic care that will help babies survive their critical first weeks” (9/1).