releases: https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-questions-cdc-enterovirus-d68-origins-0
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-questions-cdc-enterovirus-d68-origins-0 | Brooks Questions CDC on Enterovirus D68 Origins | 2014-10-22 | 2014 | 2014-10 | Republican | House | AL | Mo Brooks | B001274 | brooks.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. 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). Congressman Brooks stated, This 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 andnaturally occurringoutbreaks in America, or some other cause. Congressman 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. There's no antiviral and no vaccine for this virus, and children are at a higher risk than adults. 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. This necessarily includes the origins of EV-D68 as well as what the CDC and other agencies are doing to address this deadly virus. For more information about EV-D68, visit the CDC's What We Know page here: https://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/outbreaks/EV-D68-outbreaks.html. The full text of the letter is below. October 21, 2014 Dear Director Frieden: We are writing to inquire about the recent spread of the respiratory illness known as enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). We are deeply concerned about the growing number of children becoming ill with EV-D68 and the severity of these reported cases. Since 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? Additionally, Denver area hospitals have reported children experiencing muscle weakness or paralysis in the neck, back or, limbs after testing positive for EV-D68. 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? Although 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' cases of EV-D68? Given that this issue is of great importance to the health of our nation's children and their families, we look forward to your timely response. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |