White House hosts roundtable discussion on global health security

U.S. Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan on Thursday "hosted a roundtable discussion with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan and senior officials from across the U.S. Government," during which "[p]articipants discussed the steps needed to advance key elements of a U.S. Government-WHO memorandum of understanding on global health security, signed last year on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly," the White House Blog reports. The "meeting reflects our deepening commitment to build relationships across sectors and with other nations in recognition that the response to health threats must be global," the blog writes, adding, "The Obama Administration sees yesterday's meeting as an important step towards protecting the health of the American people as well as people around the world against potential public health emergencies" (6/15).