Cambridge Forum takes an incisive look at America’s public health system in the light of another potential pandemic, and the prospect of an incoming president who is set to dismantle our current public health care science which is regarded by many, as the best in the world. Alarm bells were sounded early last December when The Lancet, the world’s top medical journal, published an issue dedicated to U.S. public health lauding its remarkable global record and worrying for its future, under a second Trump administration.

Undoubtedly, America’s health achievements have changed world history in terms of the lives saved. Victories against polio and yellow fever, HIV-AIDS and malaria, infant mortality and TB are often taken for granted, along with the virtual eradication of smallpox. But all this may soon change dramatically, if Trump follows through on his disastrous choices for top government healthcare appointments.

According to an analysis by Canadian health and science writer, Crawford Kilian, the breakdown in America’s public health system is just getting started – The Tyee December 20, 2024. Future health care spending at home and abroad is slated for drastic cuts, says Killian, and “Trump’s impending return seems likely to collapse American health science with consequences as disastrous for the rest of the world, as for the 346 million Americans.”

Defense against dangerous epidemic outbreaks requires constant vigilance, and public support for public health safety measures, like vaccinations. Covid-19, the worst global pandemic in a century, ended up costing the lives of over 1.2 million Americans.

Speakers include Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, infectious disease specialist and global health physician, who advises the W.H.O on emerging diseases. Crawford Kilian, science and health reporter, has blogged about H5N1 avian flu and other potential hazards to global health since 2005. They will address the looming public health care crisis and discuss the best ways forward.