Volume 142, No. 98 covering the 2nd Session of the 104th Congress (1995 - 1996) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CDC” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S7298 on June 28, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CDC
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, this month marks the 50th anniversary of the Nation's premiere disease prevention agency--the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC was originally created to work with State and local health officials to fight malaria, typhus and other communicable diseases. Today, it's expanded mission is to promote health and the quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.
Over the years, CDC has implemented numerous prevention programs that have saved lives and improved public health. One of the most dramatic accomplishments has been in combating infectious diseases through its childhood immunization initiatives. During this time, we have witnessed the eradication of the centuries-old scourge of smallpox, and the virtual elimination of polio in the Western Hemisphere.
In recent years, CDC has been at the forefront of the battle against HIV and AIDS. It has initiated numerous studies, surveys, and prevention activities targeting all populations, including women and youth. It has developed and coordinated community planning programs to ensure that prevention efforts include services that are effective in various communities and scientifically sound.
CDC's immunization leadership deserves great credit. Infectious diseases used to kill or disable thousands of children every year. In 1995, vaccine-preventable diseases reached an all-time low, largely because immunization rates had reached an all-time high.
Yet there is still much to be done on immunization. Today over 1 million 2-year-olds lack one or more doses of recommended vaccines. CDC established the childhood immunization initiative to strengthen efforts to ensure that children are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. The Vaccines for Children Program is one of the key components of this initiative, which CDC is implementing in partnership with States and providers nationwide.
CDC also works effectively to prevent birth defects and genetic diseases, and it has had remarkable success in reducing mental retardation, fetal alcohol syndrome, and neural tube defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly.
CDC also investigates many environmental hazards, including radiation, air pollution, and lead poisoning. In the 1970's, CDC was instrumental in encouraging the Environmental Protection Agency to order the removal of virtually all lead from gasoline, on the basis of studies that identified gasoline as a primary source of lead poisoning. The blood lead levels of American children have declined by 70 percent as a result of that action.
In another principle initiative, CDC is working in partnership with States and public and private organizations to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, by communicating health information to the public, and assisting States in conducting prevention programs to achieve these essential goals.
CDC promotes women's health in numerous ways, including the Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Program, sexually transmitted disease programs, reproductive health research and analysis, and women's health data collection. In addition, CDC has established an Office on Women's Health and has made these issues one of the five priorities of the agency.
CDC also responds to emergencies at home and abroad, including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters. It sent representatives to help respond to the terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Federal building in Oklahoma City. In the last year, it has developed a national strategy for responding to emerging infectious disease threats. By implementing surveillance systems to identify problems and their causes, and developing appropriate responses, CDC's leadership has been indispensable in minimizing the impact of these threats on public health.
I commend the agency for its extraordinary contributions to the Nation and the world. We need its leadership now, more then ever. New public health challenges await us in the future. Diseases and disasters are no longer easily confined to their place of origin, and wars and natural disasters create new opportunities for the spread of infectious diseases. The lessons of the past 50 years have taught us that we must expect the unexpected. Whether the issue is fighting Ebola outbreaks in Africa the reemergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the United States, or many other public health threats, we know the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be at the forefront of the worldwide effort to combat them.
____________________
Alerts Sign-up