News Release

Secretary Thompson Urges Medical Community to Support Tsunami Victims

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today urged the medical community to do all it can to provide financial, medical and technical assistance to countries affected by the Dec. 26 tsunami in Asia.

As part of the continued United States response to the tsunami, Secretary Thompson convened a meeting to update the medical community -- including health care associations and pharmaceutical companies -- on the United States' response to the tsunami and to urge them to focus resources on alleviating health challenges in the region. Attendees at the meeting included embassy officials from the affected nations, health care associations and private sector representatives.

"American families, businesses, organizations and government have responded to help those affected by the tsunami," Secretary Thompson said. "The medical community has an opportunity to play a special role in alleviating suffering in Asia, and I appreciate the industry's leaders joining us to see how we can most effectively work together to provide aid in the region."

The United States is leading an international coalition to help with immediate humanitarian relief, rehabilitation, and long-term reconstruction efforts. President Bush announced Dec. 31 that the United States is committing $350 million toward the relief effort, which also includes emergency response resources and military assets. President Bush also announced that former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton are leading the private fundraising effort through USA Freedom Corps.

"Through the President's leadership, we have committed $350 million in aid, and that is just the beginning of our efforts," Secretary Thompson said. "The United States is providing food, water, shelter and medical aid to the millions of people in the affected region."

HHS has deployed about 20 employees to the region, including four people assigned to the U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Teams, as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologists and field staff in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. They are assisting with activities related to vaccine-preventable diseases, childhood injuries and trauma, malaria control, health and nutrition, mental health, rapid needs assessment, and response coordination. Among the diseases that are being monitored are cholera, dysentery, malaria and typhoid fever.

Since late December, CDC staff in Thailand and India, where HHS has ongoing programs, have been assisting local health and other officials, under the direction of the respective U.S. embassies. Their activities include assessing health needs, monitoring for diseases, and documenting the dead and missing. CDC scientists are assisting teams led by Department of Defense, the State Department and international organizations. HHS officials in the United States are in daily contact with American, international and local officials involved in the tsunami response.

At today's meeting, Indonesian Ambassador Soemadi D. M. Brotodiningrat, Sri Lankan Ambassador Devinda R. Subasinghe and Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen discussed relief efforts and how the tsunami has affected their nations. Dr. William Winkenwerder, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and Greg Gottlieb of the U.S. Agency for International Development also addressed the meeting to detail American relief efforts in the region.

Also attending the meeting were representatives from more than 75 health care companies and organizations, including the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, PHRMA, BIO and the World Health Organization.

More information on tsunami relief efforts and how the public can help can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/tsunami/index.html.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: January 7, 2005