I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1797 

To facilitate effective research on and treatment of neglected tropical diseases, 

including Ebola, through coordinated domestic and international efforts. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2015 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. SALMON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. WALBERG) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs 

and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To facilitate effective research on and treatment of neglected 

tropical diseases, including Ebola, through coordinated 

domestic and international efforts. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘End Neglected Trop5 ical Diseases Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Findings. 

Sec. 5. Definition. 

Sec. 6. Rule of construction. 

TITLE I—FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Sec. 101. Expansion of USAID NTDs Program. 

Sec. 102. Actions by Department of State. 

Sec. 103. Multilateral development and health institutions. 

TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Sec. 201. Promoting efforts through interagency working groups and international forums. 

Sec. 202. Report on neglected tropical diseases in the United States. 

Sec. 203. Centers of excellence. 

Sec. 204. Panel on worm infection solutions. 

1 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It is the policy of the United States to support a 

3 broad range of implementation and research and develop4 ment activities that work toward the achievement of cost5 effective and sustainable treatment, control and, where 

6 possible, elimination of neglected tropical diseases, includ7 ing Ebola, for the economic and social well-being for all 

8 people. 

9 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 

10 Congress finds the following: 

11 (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) has 

12 identified 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 

13 Approximately two billion people—almost one-third 

14 of the world’s population—are at risk of contracting 

15 an NTD, and more than 1.4 billion people are cur16 rently afflicted with one or more NTDs. 


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1 (2) In 2013, WHO adopted a comprehensive 

2 resolution on NTDs recognizing that increased na3 tional and international investments in prevention 

4 and control of neglected tropical diseases have suc5 ceeded in improving health and social well-being in 

6 many countries. 

7 (3) NTDs have an enormous impact in terms of 

8 disease burden and quality of life. NTDs cause the 

9 loss of up to 534,000 lives and 57 million disability10 adjusted life years each year. NTDs surpass both 

11 malaria and tuberculosis in causing greater loss of 

12 life-years to disability and premature death. Many 

13 NTDs cause disfigurement and disability, leading to 

14 stigma, social discrimination, and societal 

15 marginalization. 

16 (4) NTDs create an economic burden of billions 

17 of dollars through the loss of productivity and high 

18 costs of health care required for treatment. People 

19 afflicted by NTDs are less productive than their 

20 healthy counterparts. NTDs jeopardize the ability of 

21 people to attend work and school, or to produce at 

22 full capacity. For example, controlling one NTD, 

23 hookworm, in children can result in a 43-percent in24 crease in future wage earnings. 


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1 (5) The social, economic, and health burden of 

2 NTDs falls primarily on low- and middle-income 

3 countries, where access to safe water, sanitation, 

4 and health care is limited. At least 100 countries 

5 face two endemic NTD burdens, and 30 countries 

6 carry six or more endemic NTDs. 

7 (6) NTDs are not confined to the developing 

8 world, however. Several NTD outbreaks have been 

9 reported in the United States and other developed 

10 countries, especially among the poor. In the United 

11 States, NTDs disproportionately affect people living 

12 in poverty, and especially minorities, including up to 

13 2.8 million African-Americans with toxocariasis and 

14 300,000 or more people, mostly Hispanic-Americans, 

15 with Chagas disease. 

16 (7) In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola Virus Dis17 eases (Ebola) caused a pandemic that infected more 

18 than 20,000 people, including more than 8,000 

19 deaths. Although not listed as an NTD by the World 

20 Health Organization, Ebola shares the same charac21 teristics as other NTDs by affecting people living 

22 ‘‘under conditions of poverty’’ and is ‘‘concentrated 

23 almost exclusively in impoverished populations in the 

24 developing world’’. Even when the disease had 

25 spread to the United States and other developed 


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1 countries, it was contained and controlled by the 

2 well-equipped health systems in those areas. 

3 (8) Many NTDs can be controlled, prevented, 

4 and even eliminated using low-cost, effective, and 

5 feasible solutions. Understanding the economic bur6 den of NTDs on productivity and health care costs 

7 can help to assure governments and donors that the 

8 resources directed toward NTDs represent a good 

9 investment. 

10 (9) Research and development efforts are imme11 diately needed for all NTDs, especially those for 

12 which limited or no treatment currently exists. 

13 (10) Critical to developing robust NTD control 

14 strategies are epidemiological data that identify at15 risk populations, ensure appropriate treatment fre16 quency, and inform decisions about when treatment 

17 can be reduced or stopped. 

18 (11) Of the 14 most common NTDs, roughly 

19 80 percent of infections are caused by soil-trans20 mitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis. STH 

21 are a group of three parasitic worms (roundworms, 

22 whipworms, and hookworms) that afflict more than 

23 one billion people worldwide, including 600 million 

24 school-age children, of whom more than 300 million 

25 suffer from severe morbidity. Schistosomiasis is anVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:22 Apr 17, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1797.IH H1797

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1 other helminth infection affecting at least 200 mil2 lion people in developing countries, but some esti3 mates indicate that the true number of people af4 fected may be double or even triple that number. 

5 (12) The main health problems caused by STH 

6 are related to their negative effect on childhood nu7 tritional status, which can cause stunting and wast8 ing. For example, STH infection may lead to ane9 mia, malabsorption of nutrients, loss of appetite, 

10 nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and reduced food 

11 intake. When such health problems are experienced 

12 in early childhood, a peak growth and development 

13 period, the mental and physical damage—and loss of 

14 future productivity and wage-earning potential—will 

15 likely be irreversible. Schistosomiasis causes end16 organ damage to the urinary tract, female genital 

17 tract, liver and intestines. It also results in chronic 

18 health conditions in children. 

19 (13) STH and schistosomiasis are also particu20 larly detrimental to the health of women of repro21 ductive age and pregnant women. Their underlying 

22 poor iron status makes these women most suscep23 tible to developing anemia. Iron deficiency anemia 

24 resulting from hookworm infection during pregnancy 

25 has been linked to poor pregnancy outcomes such as 


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1 prematurity, low birth weight, and impaired lacta2 tion. Female genital schistosmiasis may be one of 

3 the most common gynecologic conditions in Africa 

4 leading to genital pain, itching, and bleeding and 

5 markedly increased susceptibility to HIV/AIDS. 

6 (14) Fortunately, there is a simple, cost-effec7 tive solution to STH and schistosomiasis infections: 

8 single-dose deworming pills that can be safely ad9 ministered once or twice annually to those at risk. 

10 Pharmaceutical companies have committed to donate 

11 the drugs needed to treat all at-risk, school-age chil12 dren in developing countries. Regular administration 

13 of deworming pills reduces morbidity associated with 

14 STH and schistosomiasis infections by reducing 

15 prevalence and transmission rates. 

16 (15) Improved access to water, sanitation, and 

17 hygiene (WASH) can also reduce the transmission of 

18 NTDs, particularly intestinal worms. 

19 (16) The benefits of deworming are immediate 

20 and enduring. A rigorous randomized controlled trial 

21 has shown school-based deworming treatment to re22 duce school absenteeism by 25 percent. School-based 

23 deworming also benefits young siblings and other 

24 children who live nearby but are too young to be 


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1 treated, leading to large cognitive improvements 

2 equivalent to half a year of schooling. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITION. 

4 In this Act, the term ‘‘neglected tropical diseases’’ or 

5 ‘‘NTDs’’— 

6 (1) means infections caused by pathogens, in7 cluding viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths 

8 that disproportionately impact individuals living in 

9 extreme poverty, especially in developing countries; 

10 and 

11 (2) includes— 

12 (A) Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium Ulcerans 

13 infection); 

14 (B) Chagas disease; 

15 (C) dengue or severe dengue fever; 

16 (D) dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease); 

17 (E) echinococcosis; 

18 (F) foodborne trematodiases; 

19 (G) human African trypanosomiasis (sleep20 ing sickness); 

21 (H) leishmaniasis; 

22 (I) leprosy; 

23 (J) lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis); 

24 (K) onchocerciasis (river blindness); 

25 (L) rabies; 


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1 (M) schistosomiasis; 

2 (N) soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) 

3 (round worm, whip worm, and hook worm); 

4 (O) taeniasis/cysticercosis; 

5 (P) trachoma; and 

6 (Q) yaws (endemic treponematoses). 

7 SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

8 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to increase au9 thorizations of appropriations for the United States Agen10 cy for International Development or authorizations of ap11 propriations for the Department of Health and Human 

12 Services. 

13 TITLE I—FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

14 SEC. 101. EXPANSION OF USAID NTDS PROGRAM. 

15 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

16 (1) Since fiscal year 2006, the United States 

17 Government has been an essential leading partner in 

18 advancing control and elimination efforts for seven 

19 targeted neglected tropical diseases: lymphatic fila20 riasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blind21 ness), schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases 

22 (STH) (round worm, whip worm, and hook worm), 

23 and trachoma. Additional information suggests that 

24 such efforts could also produce collateral benefits for 


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1 at least three other NTDs: foodborne trematodiases, 

2 rabies, and yaws (endemic treponematoses). 

3 (2) The United States Agency for International 

4 Development (USAID) Neglected Tropical Diseases 

5 Program has made important and substantial con6 tributions to the global fight to control and eliminate 

7 the seven most common NTDs. Leveraging more 

8 than $6.7 billion in donated medicines, USAID has 

9 supported the distribution of more than one billion 

10 treatments in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, and 

11 Latin America and the Caribbean. 

12 (3) United States Government leadership has 

13 been instrumental in maintaining the global fight 

14 against NTDs and is a partner in the 2012 London 

15 Declaration on NTDs, which represents a new, co16 ordinated push to accelerate progress toward elimi17 nating or controlling 10 neglected tropical diseases 

18 by 2020. 

19 (4) The USAID NTDs Program is a clear ex20 ample of a successful public-private partnership be21 tween the Government and the private sector and 

22 should be judiciously expanded. 

23 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that the USAID NTDs Program (as in effect on 


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1 the date of the enactment of this Act) should be modified 

2 as follows: 

3 (1) Provide rapid impact package treatments to 

4 as many individuals suffering from NTDs or at risk 

5 of acquiring NTDs as logistically feasible. 

6 (2) Better integrate rapid impact package 

7 treatments with programs to control and eliminate 

8 HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well as improved access 

9 to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) pro10 grams, including— 

11 (A) by coordinating HIV/AIDS programs 

12 with the control of female genital schistoso13 miasis, now revealed as one of Africa’s most im14 portant co-factors in its AIDS epidemic; and 

15 (B) by coordinating malaria programs with 

16 programs to control schistosomiasis and hook 

17 worm—together these diseases produce pro18 found and severe anemia. 

19 (3) Establish school-based NTD programs to 

20 provide an opportunity to reach large numbers of 

21 school-age children who require treatments for 

22 NTDs, including rapid impact package treatments 

23 as feasible and at very low cost. 

24 (4) For other NTDs, such as human African 

25 trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Chagas disease, 


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1 leishmaniasis, and dengue fever, develop new ap2 proaches to reach the goals relating to the elimi3 nation of NTDs as set forth in the World Health 

4 Organization (WHO) NTD Roadmap. 

5 (c) EXPANSION OF PROGRAM.—The Administrator of 

6 USAID shall expand the USAID NTDs Program (as in 

7 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act) as follows: 

8 (1) Carry out monitoring and evaluation to pro9 vide accurate measurements to inform future NTD 

10 control and elimination strategies. 

11 (2) Coordinate with USAID development sec12 tors, such as sectors relating to water and sanita13 tion, hygiene, food security and nutrition, and edu14 cation (both primary and preprimary), to establish 

15 programs that address NTDs and advance the goals 

16 of the 2012 London Declaration on NTDs. 

17 (3) Include morbidity management in treatment 

18 plans for high-burden NTDs, such as lymphatic fila19 riasis (elephantiasis). 

20 (4) Include NTDs that are recognized as high21 burden diseases in the Global Burden of Disease 

22 Study 2010, including foodborne trematodiases, 

23 human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), 

24 Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and dengue fever and 

25 related arbovirus infections. 


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1 (5) Include research and development, con2 sistent with other USAID disease prevention pro3 grams, to ensure the tools required for elimination 

4 of these diseases are available, such as drugs, 

5 diagnostics, vaccines. 

6 (d) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of 

8 USAID shall establish a research and development 

9 program within the USAID NTDs Program (as in 

10 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). 

11 (2) PRIORITY.—The research and development 

12 program shall focus on the prevention and control of 

13 those diseases with the highest need for new treat14 ments, diagnostics, and vaccines, including soil 

15 transmitted helminthiases (STH) (round worm, whip 

16 worm, and hook worm), schistosomiasis, Chagas dis17 ease, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sick18 ness), leishmaniasis, Ebola, and dengue fever and 

19 other arbovirus infections. 

20 SEC. 102. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

21 (a) OFFICE OF THE GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR.— 

22 Section 1(f)(2)(B)(ii) of the State Department Basic Au23 thorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(f)(2)(B)(ii)) is 

24 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(XIV) NEGLECTED TROPICAL

2 DISEASES.— 

3 ‘‘(aa) IN GENERAL.—Ensur4 ing coordination of activities of 

5 the United States (including 

6 funding) relating to combatting 

7 HIV/AIDS with activities of the 

8 United States (including funding) 

9 relating to combatting neglected 

10 tropical diseases to include the 

11 control and elimination of ne12 glected tropical diseases, particu13 larly in countries and regions 

14 that are highly endemic for fe15 male genital schistosomiasis. 

16 ‘‘(bb) DEFINITION.—In this 

17 subclause, the term ‘neglected 

18 tropical diseases’ has the mean19 ing given the term in section 5 of 

20 the End Neglected Tropical Dis21 eases Act.’’. 

22 (b) GLOBAL FUND.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 

24 should seek to engage the Global Fund in discus25 sions on whether to expand the authority of the 


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1 Global Fund for the control and elimination of ne2 glected tropical diseases. 

3 (2) GLOBAL FUND.—In this subsection, the 

4 term ‘‘Global Fund’’ means the public-private part5 nership known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 

6 Tuberculosis and Malaria established pursuant to 

7 Article 80 of the Swiss Civil Code. 

8 (c) G–20 COUNTRIES.—The Secretary of State, act9 ing through the Office of Global Health Diplomacy, should 

10 engage G–20 countries to significantly increase their role 

11 in the control and elimination of neglected tropical dis12 eases, particularly Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indo13 nesia, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and 

14 South Africa. 

15 SEC. 103. MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH IN16 STITUTIONS. 

17 (a) CONGRESSIONAL FINDING.—Congress finds that 

18 the treatment of high burden neglected tropical diseases, 

19 including school-based deworming programs, has proven 

20 to be a highly cost-effective education intervention and 

21 schools can serve as the best delivery mechanism for 

22 reaching large numbers of children with safe treatment for 

23 soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) (round worm, whip 

24 worm, and hook worm) in particular. 


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1 (b) UNITED NATIONS.—The President shall direct 

2 the United States permanent representative to the United 

3 Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United 

4 States to urge the World Health Organization, the United 

5 Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiza6 tion, and the United Nations Development Programme to 

7 take the actions described in subsection (d). 

8 (c) WORLD BANK INSTITUTE.—The President shall 

9 direct the United States Executive Director at the Inter10 national Bank for Reconstruction and Development to use 

11 the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge 

12 the World Bank Institute to take the actions described 

13 in subsection (d). 

14 (d) ACTIONS DESCRIBED.—The actions described in 

15 this subsection are the following: 

16 (1) Ensure the dissemination of best practices 

17 and programming on NTDs to governments and 

18 make data accessible to practitioners in an open and 

19 timely fashion. 

20 (2) Highlight impacts of school-based 

21 deworming programs on children’s health and edu22 cation, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of such 

23 programs. 

24 (3) Encourage governments to implement 

25 deworming campaigns at the national level. 


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1 (4) Designate a portion of grant funds of the 

2 institutions to deworming initiatives and cross-sec3 toral collaboration with water and sanitation and hy4 giene efforts and nutrition or education program5 ming. 

6 (5) Encourage accurate monitoring and evalua7 tion of NTD programs, including deworming pro8 grams. 

9 (6) Engage governments in cross-border initia10 tives for the treatment, control, prevention, and 

11 elimination of NTDs, and assist in developing 

12 transnational agreements, when necessary. 

13 TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF 

14 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

15 SEC. 201. PROMOTING EFFORTS THROUGH INTERAGENCY 

16 WORKING GROUPS AND INTERNATIONAL FO17 RUMS. 

18 The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

19 continue to promote the need for robust programs and ac20 tivities to diagnose, prevent, control, and treat neglected 

21 tropical diseases— 

22 (1) through interagency working groups on 

23 health; and 


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1 (2) through relevant international forums on 

2 behalf of the United States, including the post-2015 

3 United Nations development agenda. 

4 SEC. 202. REPORT ON NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES IN 

5 THE UNITED STATES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 

7 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

8 and Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall submit 

10 to the Congress a report on neglected tropical diseases in 

11 the United States. 

12 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by this section 

13 shall— 

14 (1) assess the epidemiology of, impact of, and 

15 appropriate funding required to address neglected 

16 tropical diseases in the United States; and 

17 (2) include the information necessary— 

18 (A) to guide future health policy with re19 spect to such diseases; 

20 (B) to accurately evaluate the current 

21 state of knowledge concerning such diseases; 

22 and 

23 (C) to define gaps in such knowledge. 


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1 SEC. 203. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 

2 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

3 is amended by inserting after section 399V–5 of such Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 280g–16) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 399V–6. NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE CENTERS OF 

6 EXCELLENCE. 

7 ‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

9 through the Director of the National Institute of Al10 lergy and Infectious Diseases or the Administrator 

11 of the Health Resources and Services Administra12 tion, as appropriate, may enter into cooperative 

13 agreements with, and make grants to, public or pri14 vate nonprofit entities to pay all or part of the cost 

15 of planning, establishing, or strengthening, and pro16 viding basic operating support for, one or more cen17 ters of excellence for research into, training in, and 

18 development of diagnosis, prevention, control, and 

19 treatment methods for neglected tropical diseases. 

20 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a cooper21 ative agreement or grant under this section, an enti22 ty must— 

23 ‘‘(A) have demonstrated expertise in re24 search on, and the epidemiology and surveil25 lance of, the major neglected tropical diseases 

26 that are endemic to the United States, such as 


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1 Chagas disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, and 

2 West Nile virus infection, and helminth infec3 tions; and 

4 ‘‘(B) participate in one or more not-for5 profit product development partnerships. 

6 ‘‘(b) POLICIES.—A cooperative agreement or grant 

7 under paragraph (1) shall be entered into or awarded in 

8 accordance with policies established by the Director of the 

9 National Institutes of Health or the Health Resources and 

10 Services Administration, as applicable. 

11 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER INSTITUTES.— 

12 The Secretary shall coordinate the activities under this 

13 section with similar activities conducted by other national 

14 research institutes, centers, and agencies of the National 

15 Institutes of Health to the extent that such institutes, cen16 ters, and agencies have responsibilities that are related to 

17 neglected tropical diseases. 

18 ‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—A cooperative agreement or 

19 grant under subsection (a) may be used for— 

20 ‘‘(1) staffing, administrative, and other basic 

21 operating costs, including such patient care costs as 

22 are required for research; 

23 ‘‘(2) clinical training, including training for al24 lied health professionals, continuing education for 

25 health professionals and allied health professions 


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1 personnel, and information programs for the public 

2 with respect to neglected tropical diseases; and 

3 ‘‘(3) research and development programs. 

4 ‘‘(e) PERIOD OF SUPPORT; ADDITIONAL PERIODS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Support of a center of ex6 cellence under this section may be for a period of 

7 not more than 5 years. 

8 ‘‘(2) EXTENSIONS.—The period specified in 

9 paragraph (1) may be extended by the Secretary for 

10 additional periods of not more than 5 years if— 

11 ‘‘(A) the operations of the center of excel12 lence involved have been reviewed by an appro13 priate technical and scientific peer review 

14 group; and 

15 ‘‘(B) such group has recommended to the 

16 Secretary that such period should be extended. 

17 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) The term ‘neglected tropical disease’ has 

19 the meaning given to that term in section 5 of the 

20 End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act. 

21 ‘‘(2) The term ‘product development partner22 ship’ means a partnership to bring together public 

23 and private sector researchers to develop new, or im24 prove on current, global health tools, such as drugs, 


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1 diagnostics, insecticides, vaccines, and vector man2 agement strategies— 

3 ‘‘(A) that are for neglected tropical dis4 eases, including Ebola; and 

5 ‘‘(B) for which there is generally no profit6 able market. 

7 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

8 carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro9 priated such sums as may be necessary for each of the 

10 fiscal years 2016 through 2020.’’. 

11 SEC. 204. PANEL ON WORM INFECTION SOLUTIONS. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the National 

13 Institutes of Health, in consultation with the Adminis14 trator of the United States Agency for International De15 velopment, shall establish a panel to conduct an evaluation 

16 of issues relating to worm infections, including potential 

17 solutions such as deworming medicines (in this section re18 ferred to as the ‘‘panel’’). 

19 (b) STRATEGIES.—The panel shall develop rec20 ommendations for strategies for solutions with respect 

21 to— 

22 (1) repeat infections; 

23 (2) vector control; 

24 (3) clean water solutions; 


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1 (4) identifying incentives to encourage basic re2 search for less toxic, more effective medicines; and 

3 (5) improving the success and cost efficiency of 

4 current programs in these areas, based on a thor5 ough scan of initiatives already underway in both 

6 the public and private sectors. 

7 (c) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—The Director of 

8 the National Institutes of Health shall appoint as mem9 bers of the panel individuals from the public and private 

10 sectors who are knowledgeable about or affected by worm 

11 infections, including— 

12 (1) at least 2 representatives of nongovern13 mental organizations; 

14 (2) at least 2 representatives of private industry 

15 involved in the development of de-worming medica16 tions; 

17 (3) at least 2 representatives from academia; 

18 and 

19 (4) representatives of industries relating to 

20 sanitation, clean water, and vector control. 

21 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the panel shall submit to 

23 Congress and the Director of the National Institutes of 

24 Health a report on its findings and recommended strate25 gies, including recommendations for such administrative 


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1 action and legislation as the panel determines to be appro2 priate. 

3 (e) TERMINATION.—The panel shall terminate not 

4 later than 6 months after submitting the report required 

5 by subsection (d). 

Æ 


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