Britain’s government axes Public Health England
A pandemic is not necessarily a great time to scrap the body charged with managing pandemics
“A STRONG, CAPABLE, co-ordinated, united and efficient public-health agency that rivals any in the world,” was the verdict of a review conducted in 2017 by representatives of some of the world’s top public-health bodies, including the president of Germany’s highly regarded Robert Koch Institute, on Public Health England (PHE). Three years later, PHE is being scrapped. Its responsibility for dealing with external threats such as infectious diseases and biological weapons will be taken over by a new organisation, the National Institute for Health Protection, which will also incorporate the Joint Biosecurity Centre, provider of expert advice on pandemics. How could this happen to an outfit held in such high regard?
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Turning German?”
Britain August 22nd 2020
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