Today, Reps. Waxman, Upton, DeGette, Stearns, Pallone and Pitts sent a letter to the FDA requesting an informational briefing on the public health threat posed by the new outbreak of a very rare strain of E. coli in Germany.
Dear Dr. Hamburg and Dr. Frieden:
Pursuant to Rules X and XI of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Commerce is examining the recent outbreak of a lethal form of Shiga toxin producing E. coli 0104:H4 (STEC 0104:H4) in Europe. As of June 6, 2011, case counts confirmed by Germany's Robert Koch Institute include 642 patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome - a type of kidney failure that is associated with E. coli or STEC infections - and 15 deaths. We are especially concerned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that, in the United States, there are one confirmed and three suspected cases of STEC 0104:H4 infections identified in persons who recently traveled to Hamburg, Germany, the likely site of exposure.[1]
We request that you contact Sam Spector with the Republican Committee staff at (202) 225-2927 and Stacia Cardille of the Democratic staff at (202) 225-3641 to schedule a staff briefing on the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to protect the American food supply. We also ask the CDC to participate in the briefing as CDC is monitoring the current outbreak of E.coli 0104 and tracking illnesses in the United States that may be related to the outbreak.
Sincerely,
Fred Upton
Chairman
Henry A. Waxman
Ranking Member
Cliff Stearns
Chairman
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Diana DeGette
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
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Joseph R. Pitts
Chairman
Subcommittee on Health
Frank Pallone, Jr.
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Health
Source: http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=news/committee-sends-joint-letter-to-fda-requesting-informational-briefing-on-recent-e-coli-outbreak
