{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141024113002/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1251", "Brooks Questions CDC on Enterovirus D68 Origins", "2014-10-22", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Mo Brooks", "B001274", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today Congressman Brooks (AL-05) joined with Congressman Scott Garrett (NJ-05) in asking questions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the respiratory illness known as enterovirus D68 (EV-D68).\n\n\tCongressman Brooks stated, \u201cThis week I joined with Congressman Scott Garrett in sending a letter to the CDC requesting answers to explain the recent rise of those infected with EV-D68. There is conflicting information about whether this recent and unusually deadly outbreak of EV-D68 is related to America's porous southern border, unrelated but historical and\u00a0naturally occurring\u00a0outbreaks in America, or some other cause.\u201d\u00a0\n\n\tCongressman Brooks continued, \"The latest data from the CDC states that 922 people in 46 states and Washington, D.C., are infected with EV-D68, including in Alabama, which is far more than have been infected in previous years.\u00a0 There\u2019s no antiviral and no vaccine for this virus, and children are at a higher risk than adults.\u00a0 In order to minimize deaths, paralysis, and other effects of future outbreaks of EV-D68, it is important to first understand and know the cause of the current outbreak.\u00a0 This necessarily includes the origins of EV-D68 as well as what the CDC and other agencies are doing to address this deadly virus.\u201d\n\n\tFor more information about EV-D68, visit the CDC\u2019s \u201cWhat We Know\u201d page here:\u00a0 http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/outbreaks/EV-D68-outbreaks.html.\n\n\t\u00a0\n\n\tThe full text of the letter is below. \n\n\t\u00a0\n\n\tOctober 21, 2014\n\n\tDear Director Frieden:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\n\tWe are writing to inquire about the recent spread of the respiratory illness known as enterovirus D68 (EV-D68).\u00a0 We are deeply concerned about the growing number of children becoming ill with EV-D68 and the severity of these reported cases.\n\n\tSince August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that 922 people in 46 states and the District of Columbia have become ill with EV-D68, and at least seven children testing positive for EV-D68 have died. Most recently, a 21-month-old girl in Michigan died of the virus on October 10th, and a four-year-old boy from New Jersey died on September 25th. Has the CDC identified how the seven children who died while infected with EV-D68 contracted this illness? If so, how and when did these children contract this illness?\n\n\tAdditionally, Denver area hospitals have reported children experiencing muscle weakness or paralysis in the neck, back or, limbs after testing positive for EV-D68.\u00a0 Has the CDC been able to identify if the EV-D68 illness caused the muscle weakness and paralysis in these children? Furthermore, what measures are in place to ensure that health officials are properly identifying and testing suspected cases of EV-D68?\n\n\tAlthough this disease was first identified in California in 1962, there have only been small numbers of reported cases in the U.S. over the past thirty years. What has the CDC done to identify the origin of this most recent outbreak? Moreover, has the CDC been able to identify why this outbreak has been more severe than previous years\u2019 cases of EV-D68?\n\n\tGiven that this issue is of great importance to the health of our nation\u2019s children and their families, we look forward to your timely response. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.\n\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20141024113002/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1251"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3046599924564362, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}