London, August 31 (RHC)—The latest round of US hostility measures against Cuba not only hurts the island´s people but also people in the United States, says Gail Reed, Executive Director of MEDICC Review.

In a letter published in Saturday´s edition of The Lancet medical journal, Reed made reference to the impact of the recently implemented Title III of the Helms Burton Act, which targets European and other potential investors in Cuba as well as of other measures limiting Cuban family visits, restricting US citizens' travel rights and bilateral cooperation opened by former US President Obama.

She noted that these actions also cap family remittances and target tourism, a main source of hard currency for Cuba.

Gail Reed added in her letter to The Lancet that while the measures are apparently designed to appease voting Cuban-American citizens stuck in the past, Americans will be hurt too.

“Infant mortality, vaccination rates, and several other basic indicators are better in Cuba than in the USA, with room for mutual learning. Cuba has also made biotech advances that could be useful to the USA; for example, Heberprot-P is used in dozens of other countries to heal diabetic foot ulcers. Heberprot-P reduces amputation risk by more than 70%,” she said.

The Executive Director of MEDICC Review concluded her letter stating that there are about 73 000 diabetes-related amputations in the USA annually and, if hostilities by the US Administration continue, the USA might never see Heberprot-P in the US Food and Drug Administration pipeline.

The Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba – MEDICC-- was founded in 1997 to foster communication and cooperation between the US and Cuban medical/public health communities.

MEDICC Review is a quarterly International Journal of Cuban Health and Medicine which publishes original scientific articles by Cuban and international medical and population health scientists, features, interviews and opinion pieces.