[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E449-E450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INCREASED FUNDING FOR ALZHEIMER'S, AUTISM, AND LYME DISEASE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 27, 2001

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today I testified before the 
Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations 
Subcommittee on the importance of setting aside sufficient funding for 
critical life-saving and life affirming medical research.
  First Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend President Bush for 
continuing the commitment to double biomedical research funding in five 
years by providing a $2.8 billion increase for the National Institute 
of Health (NIH) in his budget proposal to Congress. The President's 
proposal provides the largest annual funding increase in NIH's history, 
and it is my hope that Congress follows in the President's footsteps.
  Today I am here to represent the interests of those afflicted with 
Alzheimer's disease, autism, and Lyme disease. These devastating 
diseases have left the elderly helpless, the children voiceless, and 
people across the nation getting weaker and sicker.


                          Alzheimer's Disease

  As co-founder of the Bipartisan Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, I 
am seeking support for increased funding of the National Institute on 
Aging so that it could accommodate an additional $200 million in 
Alzheimer's research. This appropriation will help us reach our goal of 
funding Alzheimer's research at $1 billion by fiscal year 2003 and 
allow us to launch an all-out assault on Alzheimer's disease.
  This year, Mr. Speaker, we hope to increase funding for research to 
discover ways in which to prevent Alzheimer's for two critical target 
populations. The first target is people who will have clinical 
Alzheimer's disease 10 to 20 years from now. Researchers must find ways 
to slow or alter the changes that are already taking place in the brain 
so that symptoms of Alzheimer's never develops. The second target 
population is those persons who are already suffering with the disease. 
Researchers need more resources to help them find ways to prevent the 
health crises, the unmanageable behaviors, and the rapid functional 
decline that leads to hospitalization and nursing home placement. We 
are aware of the tremendous cost Alzheimer's already brings to bare on 
society. Not only is there an economic burden, but Alzheimer's also 
destroys the quality of life for the patient and the caregiver alike.
  An increased investment from the government will allow for 
researchers to search for simple, practical, widely available, and 
affordable ways to detect the earliest changes in the brain.
  Mr. Speaker, we have seen that the Alzheimer's investments Congress 
has made over the past decade are now paying off in rapid discoveries 
regarding the basic mechanisms of the disease, the complex interplay of 
genetic and environmental risk factors, and the treatments and 
interventions that can slow decline. Discoveries in the past year alone 
have generated great excitement in the field of Alzheimer's. For 
instance, scientists have developed a third FDA-approved drug designed 
for the treatment of the disease's cognitive symptoms. In addition, 
scientists have completed Phase 1 of a clinical trial involving humans 
in which they used a vaccine that appears to prevent in the brains of 
mice the amyloid deposition that forms plaques which characterize 
Alzheimer's disease.
  The United States enters the 21st Century facing an imminent 
epidemic. By 2050, 14 million of today's baby boomers will have 
Alzheimer's disease. For most of them, the process that will destroy 
their memories, their lives, and their savings has already begun. The 
annual cost of Alzheimer's diseases will soar to at least $375 billion, 
overwhelming our health care system and bankrupting Medicare and 
Medicaid. The only way to avoid this crisis is to act now.


                                 Autism

  As the co-founder of the Coalition for Autism Research and Education 
(C.A.R.E.), I am seeking support for the provision of $5 million for 
the Center of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help the states 
conduct autism epidemiology research.
  Autism is a developmental disorder that has robbed at least 400,000 
children of their ability to communicate and interact. The disorder 
affects at least one in every 500 children in America. Currently, there 
is limited information on the prevalence, cause, or treatment of 
autism.
  To address the lack of understanding Mr. Speaker, CDC began 
conducting epidemiological research on the incidence and surveillance 
of autism in two metropolitan areas in Georgia and my home state, New 
Jersey. Last year, Congress made a major and vital investment in the 
centers of excellence, and as a result, CDC expanded its research to 
include data collection in West Virginia, Arizona, South Carolina, 
Maryland, and Delaware. CDC's efforts in these states seek to identify 
the prevalence rate of autism and to verify that these cases are 
accurately diagnosed. The studies also seek to establish any relevant 
environmental or other exposures in these communities.
  The basic data collection and verification is integral to better 
understanding the incidence of autism, the factors which may contribute 
to a higher rate of incidence, and effective treatment. The challenge 
is that effective analysis of this data must wait for the data 
collection efforts to expand to an additional 24 states.
  CDC must receive the funding to collect data from approximately 30 
states before it can move forward with a comprehensive analysis of 
trends that may reveal correlative factors, potential causes, and 
hopefully effective treatments and cures for autism.


                              Lyme Disease

  As a Member of Congress who has been active on the subject of Lyme 
disease for nearly two decades, I believe there are two critical areas 
we must focus upon if our nation is to better control the disease. 
First, I am seeking support for an increase of $8 million at the NIH, 
which would bring total Lyme disease funding to $32 million. NIH would 
use this infusion of funds to make the development

[[Page E450]]

and improvement of direct detection tests for Lyme a priority. Second, 
we must double the funding at CDC and bring total Lyme disease funding 
to $16 million. The CDC has admitted that ``the (Lyme) disease is 
greatly under-reported.'' Thus, we must urge CDC to re-examine its 
surveillance system to see where improvements can be made and 
accurately enhanced. In order to do this, they need adequate funding 
and oversight.
  Lyme disease continues to harm tens of thousands of Americans who 
engage in outdoor activities, both from work and from recreation. 
Symptoms of Lyme disease can include a reddish skin rash, chills, flu-
like symptoms, headaches, joint pain and fatigue. Without treatment, 
Lyme disease can result in acute headaches, arthritis, and nervous 
system and cardiac abnormalities. The CDC notes that Lyme disease is 
the leading cause of vector-borne infectious illness in the U.S. with 
approximately 15,000 cases reported annually. Over 125,000 cases of 
Lyme disease infection have been reported since 1982, and some studies 
indicate cases of Lyme may be under-reported by as much as 10 or 12 
fold. Furthermore, various estimates of the cost of Lyme disease on our 
society at between $500 million and $1 billion annually.
  Consequently, I believe funding to address detection and surveillance 
would greatly assist Congress in ensuring the constituents in Lyme 
disease endemic areas that Lyme disease research is on the right track.
  The case is amply made that extra monies for Alzheimer's disease, 
Autism, and Lyme disease will be very well put to use and represent a 
small payment toward preventing future health care costs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of Congress to support increased 
funding for Alzheimer's, autism, and Lyme disease.

                          ____________________