[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 102 (Friday, July 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE AVAILABILITY OF AVIAN FLU RESEARCH DATA

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2006

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I sent the attached letter along with my 
colleagues to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding 
avian flu data on July 6, 2006.

                                Congress of the United States,

                                     Washington, DC, July 6, 2006.
     Mr. Mike Leavitt,
     Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Leavitt: As the looming threat of a pandemic 
     flu continues, the need to take cost effective and time-
     saving steps to boost our capacity and response speed is 
     vital. The free flow of information, in particular, can 
     accelerate research, and the development of vaccines, saving 
     lives. In the case of Avian Flu, the very properties we fear 
     the most--the ease with which the virus is transmitted and 
     its ability to kill its host--are encoded in the virus' 
     genome. Yet the genetic sequences are currently only 
     immediately available to a select group of researchers, a 
     practice which is hampering and delaying our ability to 
     respond to the threat of the pandemic influenza. We will need 
     as many scientific eyes as possible examining the problem.
       Though an adequate response to a future pandemic will 
     require the cooperation of all involved countries, the US 
     should show leadership commensurate with its expertise and 
     wealth. We therefore applaud your request of the World Health 
     Assembly, the decision making body of the World Health 
     Organization, that they ``pledge with me to abide by four 
     principles of pandemic preparedness: Transparency, rapid 
     reporting, data sharing, and scientific cooperation.''
       We ask that you set these principles into motion by 
     requiring data from HHS-funded research on avian influenza 
     and genetic sequences, in particular, to be promptly 
     deposited in a publicly accessible repository such as 
     GenBank, the sequence database of the National Institutes of 
     Health. Researchers for the Human Genome Project published 
     their sequences in a public database within 24 hours. Calls 
     for the immediate deposition of sequence data have come from 
     some of the most renowned scientists in the world in the 
     field of avian influenza.
       Some scientists and countries are reluctant to release 
     their genetic and clinical data for fear of loss of 
     scientific credit or that the information will be used to 
     create a technology, such as a vaccine, that will then be 
     priced out of their reach. In particular, certain countries 
     are refusing to release their sequences. Unfortunately, those 
     countries are reported to include several current or past hot 
     spots for H5N1. These concerns can be satisfied. There are 
     already public databases holding tens of thousands of genetic 
     sequences that have intellectual property protections in 
     place to prevent just such problems. While many countries may 
     have policies in place to prevent the open sharing of such 
     information, stressing the importance of rapid response 
     worldwide is vital.
       In the event of a pandemic, the public will need to be able 
     to trust that their government and scientists are acting with 
     the transparency, speed and cooperation you requested. The 
     United States can take this opportunity to take on a critical 
     leadership role.
           Sincerely,
         Dennis J. Kucinich, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Jim McDermott, 
           John Conyers, Jr., Wayne T. Gilchrest, Tammy Baldwin, 
           Diana DeGette, Ellen O. Tauscher, Lynn C. Woolsey, John 
           W. Olver, Major R. Owens, Barbara Lee, Dale E. Kildee, 
           William J. Jefferson, Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Bernie 
           Sanders.

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