Dear Dr. Redfield, It is my great pleasure to congratulate you on your appointment as the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wish you every success in all your future endeavors. With this letter, I would like to outline the importance of the US-Georgia partnership which entailed unprecedented initiative - Hepatitis C Elimination Program in Georgia. This project is a direct result of successful public-private partnership originating from close cooperation between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Gilead Sciences Inc.. Through universal access to HCV diagnostics and treatment, HCV burden in Georgia is gradually being eliminated. Beyond its immediate public health impact in Georgia, the HCV elimination project will serve as a model for other countries by generating valuable data to support the implementation of elimination programs in other parts of the world. An unprecedented investment and US Government support has been rendered to Georgia for establishment and operation of the R. Lugar Center for Public Health Research under the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). The Lugar Center is a valuable asset not only for our country, but also for the whole region in light of developing biosecurity, biosafety, surveillance and scientific research areas. Georgia has been receiving significant international support from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat and prevent AMR by improving healthcare associated infections (HAIs); institutionalizing Infection Prevention Control (IPC) practices through the development of National IPC policies and guidelines; building laboratory capacity for HAIs and AMR testing; and promoting antibiotic stewardship. Furthermore, with outstanding support of U.S. CDC country has developed sustainable Influenza Surveillance System, which is a significant step towards strengthening surveillance capacity for timely detection and effective response to public health threats. To intensify our collaboration, with great pleasure, I would like to invite you to visit Georgia at your earliest convenience. This visit will give us an opportunity to discuss ongoing healthcare reforms implemented in collaboration with US Government and define future initiatives of our mutual partnership. Once again, wishing you success in your new duties and looking forward to our future collaboration. Sincerely yours,
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