Today, May 18, 2019, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar participated in a meeting with the Pasteur Institute. He and other U.S. health officials met with Stewart Cole, President of the Pasteur Institute, and other members of the Institute’s senior leadership team.

They discussed the history of the Pasteur Institute and the continued collaboration between the Institute and HHS, through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to improve influenza and emerging infectious disease surveillance networks in Africa and Southeast Asia. They also discussed vaccine development to prevent pandemic flu and the importance of vaccinations to prevent diseases, such as measles. Secretary Azar emphasized global health security and combatting antimicrobial resistance as major priorities for the U.S.

Upon the meeting’s conclusion, participants discussed opportunities for increased collaboration to take our partnership to the next level and Secretary Azar thanked the Pasteur Institute for their global leadership in prevention and response to infectious diseases, and recognized the strong scientific tradition carried on by Pasteur’s researchers and trainees over the past 130 years.

Later in the day, Secretary Azar will travel to Geneva, Switzerland for the 72nd World Health Assembly, as the head of the U.S. delegation beginning May 19, 2019. Additional information and details regarding the Secretary’s travel and meetings will be forthcoming.