Senate Working Group on Malaria expands to congressional caucus including NTDs

"A bipartisan pair of senators is expanding an existing working group on malaria issues to become a congressional caucus that will focus on efforts to combat 17 tropical diseases including malaria," CQ HealthBeat reports (Adams, 9/21). Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) last week "announced that the Senate Working Group on Malaria would join its counterpart in the House of Representatives by adding neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) to the group's agenda," the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog writes, noting the announcement was made at "a special Congressional Reception celebrating the progress of USAID's NTD Program" (Garlow, 9/21). At the event, "USAID and more than 40 non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, global health and civil society groups, and pharmaceutical companies gathered in the Russell Senate Office Building to celebrate the numerous successful partnerships that have led to advances in NTD treatment and control," the blog states in a separate post (Garlow, 9/21). CQ HealthBeat notes, "Although a working group is similar to a caucus, the senators hope that making the group an official caucus will show their colleagues that it is a permanent coalition" (9/21).