[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21251]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, antibiotic resistance is a major 
health threat that does not receive the attention it deserves. When 
bioterrorism is a prevailing concern, we can no longer afford to ignore 
or downplay the threat of antibiotic resistance.
  Introduced in the 1940s, antibiotics gave us a tremendous advantage 
in our fight against tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid, cholera and 
salmonella and many other long-term killers, but some bacteria exposed 
to antibiotics are able to survive. These antibiotic-resistant strains 
then flourish and pose a dangerous threat to public health.

                              {time}  1800

  We in Congress cannot go home to our districts and say we have taken 
the steps necessary to prepare for future bioterrorist attacks unless 
and until we confront the issue of antibiotic resistance.
  The links between resistance and bioterrorism are clear. Antibiotic-
resistant strains of anthrax and other microbes are recognized to be 
some of the most lethal forms of biological weapons. These weapons 
exist today. We know, first, that Russian scientists have developed a 
strain of anthrax that is resistant to penicillin and tetracycline. We 
can only assume that anthrax and other lethal agents will be engineered 
to resist newer antibiotics like Cipro.
  Overuse of antibiotics, misuse of antibiotics will render more 
microbes resistant to our current stockpile of drugs, potentially 
leaving the Nation poorly prepared in the event of bioterrorist 
attacks. As we have seen with the recent anthrax attacks, the broad-
scale use of antibiotics associated with bioterrorism compounds the 
resistance problems, which in turn can render our existing antibiotics 
ineffective against future attacks. It is an alarming cycle.
  To adequately prepare for a bioterrorist attack, surveillance 
capabilities at the State and local levels are crucial. State and local 
health departments must be equipped to rapidly identify and respond to 
antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax and other lethal agents. To 
protect our antibiotic stockpile, we must be able to isolate emerging 
antibiotic-resistant microbes, monitor the ongoing effectiveness of 
existing antibiotics, and carefully track and discourage overuse and 
misuse of current antibiotic treatments.
  Surveillance also provides the data needed to prioritize the research 
and the development of new antibiotic treatments. Drug-resistant 
pathogens are a growing threat to every American. We cannot, we must 
not continue to treat this threat as a long-term issue and a lesser 
priority. It is an immediate threat, and we must deal with it now.
  Under last year's Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act, 
sponsored by my colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) 
and my friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), Congress 
authorized a grant program that can equip State and local health 
departments to identify and to track antibiotic resistance. The 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) and I are requesting that the 
Committee on Appropriations include at least $50 million for this grant 
program in the Homeland Security supplemental appropriations bill, 
which we will take up either late this week or early next week.
  I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to weigh in on this issue. 
Let the appropriators know that funding of antibiotic resistance is 
critical. We must help State and local health agencies combat 
antibiotic resistance. Our success against bioterrorism absolutely 
depends on it.

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