The United States has a unique opportunity to reduce the spread of disease by engaging the leaders of the G20 countries and targeting neglected diseases. Fellow Peter Hotez explains how.
This policy brief analyzes the impact of the increasing number of parents who opt their children out of school-entry vaccinations for nonmedical reasons in Texas and argues that the state should make obtaining nonmedical exemptions more rigorous in order to reduce the public health risks and costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.
State "right to try" laws can give terminally ill patients early access to experimental drugs and medical devices — but they arguably make safety and efficacy secondary to speedy access.
Peter J. Hotez, fellow in disease and poverty, discusses his personal experience as the father of a child with autism and examines how vaccine refusal could negatively affect child mortality rates.
This issue brief argues that continued investments in global health and the study of emerging pathogens could yield better tools to fight infectious diseases like the Zika virus long before they become a problem in the developed world.
Jennifer R. Herricks, Kirstin R.W. MatthewsMarch 4, 2016
Baker Institute Policy Report #64 highlights some of the central ethical issues pertaining to NTD policy development and argues that ethical considerations should be included in the policy development process.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Ana S. IltisFebruary 29, 2016
Baker Institute Policy Report #65 summarizes the key findings of the Baker Institute conference "The United States and Mexico: Addressing a Shared Legacy of Neglected Tropical Diseases and Poverty."
Jennifer R. Herricks, Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Peter J. HotezFebruary 15, 2016
Jennifer R. Herricks, postdoctoral fellow in disease and poverty, testified before the Texas House Committee on Public Health, urging the state to take the lead on developing a vaccine for the Zika virus.
This policy brief urges collaboration between the United States and Mexico to address widespread epidemics of mosquito-transmitted diseases like West Nile, dengue and chikungunya in both countries. Such policy development should focus on vector control programs, public awareness and the development of vaccines to curb the spread of these diseases.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Jennifer R. HerricksDecember 16, 2015
Officials in the U.S. and Mexico should coordinate a response to the spread of Chagas disease in their countries. Chagas is the third most common parasitic infection in the world.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Jennifer R. HerricksOctober 30, 2015