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Global Health Matters

May - June, 2009  |  Volume 8, Issue 3

Poll shows US support for global health aid

A recent survey for the Institute of Medicine has found that nearly two-thirds of Americans favor increasing U.S. efforts to improve global health.

Three quarters of those polled say that foreign health assistance programs "express Americans" key values—compassion, generosity and a desire to share knowledge."

An overwhelming 85 percent endorse the view that "these programs are important for the health of Americans as well as people abroad," due to diseases like SARS and avian flu.

Eighty percent favor "conducting basic research on diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis that primarily affect poor countries," while as many favor "supporting programs to reduce death and disability from chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, which affect poor as well as rich countries."

The poll of 1,004 Americans was conducted from March 25 to April 6 by WorldPolling.org. Read more about the poll on the www.WorldPublicOpinion.org Web site.