Local Congressman Applauds Funding of Research and Treatment of Ebola, Other Infections Diseases

Congressman Adam Schiff, who represents west Pasadena, on Thursday lauded the inclusion of more than $11 million in funding for the National Ebola Training and Education Center, as well as ten regional centers specializing in the treatment of Ebola and other special pathogens, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The funds are included in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which passed through committee earlier this week, according to Schiff’s office. The House of Representatives was expected to vote on the fiscal year 2021 Appropriations Bill later this month.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful reminder of how devastating infectious diseases can be, and how vital it is to invest in programs that help us respond to the next emerging threat,” Schiff said. “The regional treatment centers funded by the Appropriations Committee will help better prepare our country for the next pandemic.”

The bill includes a minimum of $11 million in funding for the centers, Schiff’s office said in a written statement.

Schiff was a lead writer of a bipartisan letter sent to the fellow lawmakers in March during such funding.

“Recent outbreaks of infectious diseases, from the Ebola outbreak of 2014 to the current occurrence of COVID-19, have been a global wake-up call to the ongoing threat that emerging infectious diseases pose,” he said in the letter.

In addition to Ebola, the special pathogen centers Lassa Fever, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome and other dangerous illnesses.

“By investing in these centers now, our country will be better prepared for future infectious disease threats,” according to the statement.