[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1626]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       THE VALUE OF VACCINATIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I feel compelled to speak 
again about the necessity of increasing the knowledge and the notice 
given by the FDA--the Food and Drug Administration--and the Centers for 
Disease Control on what seems to be a surge in the getting of measles 
by many across this country. The numbers have gone past 100. It is 
clear that measles is a disease that quickly spreads, and it is also 
clear that medical science affirms the value of vaccines.
  So I believe it is extremely important today to again ask the FDA and 
the CDC, as I did yesterday in a letter, to raise the level of warning 
and concern to parents, schools, counties, and States in the entire 
Nation on being able to provide information to encourage vaccination, 
if that is what is the ability to have--if you are the age or if your 
child is of the age to be able to receive that vaccination and to do 
so.
  Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen measles spread to 
enormous numbers. We have seen the numbers grow in California and then 
spread. We have heard of cases in which the measles started in an 
entertainment facility, and people moved around the country. One 
example, in particular, I think, is potent because the father of the 
children has been speaking out. He is a pediatrician, and he is calling 
upon families to vaccinate, particularly the MMR, which is the 
vaccination dealing with measles.
  Unfortunately, an innocent visit to a clinic, which a child needs to 
do for pediatric services, exposed an 8-month-old to the possibility of 
measles and exposed his 3-year-old sister, who is suffering from 
leukemia. Now, as I understand it, they are in isolation. There is the 
thought of someone traveling on an airplane with measles. Unlike a 
number of other diseases, measles spreads extremely quickly. Stories 
have been told or examples have been given that if you have measles and 
if you are in a room and if you leave that room--and maybe you have 
coughed or done something--an hour later, someone comes in, and there 
is the possibility that you still may be exposed to it. When riding on 
an airplane, you may expose a whole number of persons to measles if you 
are, in fact, infected.
  I think it is extremely important. Though we realize there are 
differences of opinion, I am glad to find in the political landscape 
that this is not a political football and that, in essence, we come 
together and recognize the importance of having this information and of 
encouraging vaccination.
  I am asking for the State and city health departments and county 
health departments across the Nation to provide their own information 
to parents and schools. I wonder whether or not there is need to again 
reassess the importance of reinstating the obligation and the 
responsibility of all families who have children who are going into a 
public school system to have them vaccinated within the realm of their 
own health conditions and their own assessments by their pediatricians.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue. This is an issue of which we 
in a modern day, 21st century nation--and as an example of health care 
to those around the world--need to show the importance of preventative 
medicine and protecting our children. We have worked on these issues in 
many ways. We have fought for a vaccine for HIV. As has been said in 
the past, they are looking for a vaccine for Ebola because we 
understand how that can intervene and, in those instances, save lives. 
In this instance, in not knowing the condition of individuals, we know 
that this disease can be damaging.
  It is important that we focus on educating the public. I believe an 
alert should go out that we have a problem and that we should be 
working with our local health facilities and disciplines and districts 
to be able to establish best practices and protocols, and that parents 
and others should be informed to make intelligent decisions.
  More importantly, I think this is an issue that should be quickly 
assessed on behalf of the CDC and the FDA. Mr. Speaker, it is important 
for the children of America that we provide them the safety and 
security for their lives.

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