Sheila Jackson Lee: “This morning, I feel compelled to speak again about the necessity of increasing the knowledge and the notice given by…”

“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.…”