CDC’s Advanced Molecular Detection program should be funded at the highest level

SHARE THIS

BCHC signed onto a letter American Society for Microbiology to the Appropriations Committee to provide the highest funded level for the Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program at the CDC for FY 2024.

The current proposed level falls far short of the $175 million required for the program given its increasing importance to our nation’s public health response to infectious disease threats. This funding level aligns with the level authorized in the Tracking Pathogens Act, which was enacted as part of the year-end legislative package in 2022.

The AMD program serves as a core capacity at CDC, supporting multiple programs across the agency, forming new partnerships within and outside traditional public health, and continuing to innovate so that cutting edge genomic and bioinformatic technologies can be deployed on the front lines of public health throughout the country and around the globe. While it plays an indispensable role in the U.S. response to ongoing respiratory disease threats such as new COVID-19 variants, the AMD program’s work is much broader. It supports every state in the U.S. for a wide range of pathogens and public health applications. 

We urge Congress to provide at least $40 million for the program in FY 2024 with a goal of $175 million to ensure this work can continue now and into the future for the betterment of public health.

SHARE THIS