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Legislation pending before the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee would extend and amend the Communicable Disease Control Act and would establish a separate program for the prevention and control of venereal disease. We consider this legislation to be of extreme importance to the health of the American people.

Medicine, on the national, state, county, and community levels, has consistently worked to bring to their patients the benefits of advances in medical research and developments. The physicians of America and the Public Health Service have been partners in the fight against disease and in the campaign to eradicate contagion wherever it is found. As you may know, the AMA, in 1962, actively urged the Congress to enact the first Vaccination Assistance Act which was designed to provide encouragement and financial assistance to states and communities to undertake intensive vaccination programs for young children.

The Communicable Disease Control Act provides programs for control against venereal disease, rubella, measles, Rh disease, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. While this program has made substantial progress in reducing the incidence of these diseases, we are greatly concerned by reports which indicate declining levels of immunization protection against measles, poliomyelitis, and diphtheria in the United States. The 1970 United States Immunization Survey showed a substantially lower immunity level in preschool children in poverty areas against measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. Reports indicate threats of epidemic measles and poliomyelitis, especially in central city poverty areas and some rural areas, unless vigorous vaccination efforts are undertaken.

The spread of infectious venereal disease has already reached epidemic proportions. Gonorrhea is pandemic in the United States and has become the number one communicable disease. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare recently estimated that there would be 2.5 million new cases of gonorrhea this year. Syphilis is the fourth most common communicable disease. It is evident that there is a high priority need for a national effort to control and eradicate venereal disease.

The progress which we have made in the eradication of communicable diseases in the United States is due, to a great extent, to the impetus which has been given to state and local programs by the Communicable Disease Control Act and its predecessors. However, it is clear to us, the physicians of America, that a great deal still can and must be done to bring under further control communicable disease. We believe that our national efforts to eradicate these dread diseases should be strengthened. We urge that support be provided for augmented programs of immunization and disease control.

Thank you for permitting us this opportunity to offer to you our views.

Sincerely,

Villari Barlay MD

William R. Barclay, M. D.
Assistant Executive

Vice President

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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLUE SHIELD PLANS

211 EAST CHICAGO AVE., CHICAGO, ILL. 60611

PHONE (312) 943-8181

Honorable Edward M. Kennedy

United States Senate

April 25, 1972

Washington, D. C. 20510

Dear Senator Kennedy:

We commend your action to extend the authority for the Communicable Disease Control and Vaccination Assistance Act through the introduction of S. 3442. If effective control of communicable diseases is to be realized in this country, such legislative authority must not only exist, it must be implemented to its fullest extent.

This has not been done. The Communicable Disease Control Amendments of 1970 which should have contributed to the control of these diseases were never fully implemented. And, according to the Chicago Board of Health, while we have the capability to immunize the population against communicable diseases such as measles, rubella and tuberculosis, there is no national plan for carrying out these immunizations.

Measles, the Board says, could be totally eradicated with proper immunization patterns. But, in 1970, the disease was contracted by 47,351 persons. Of these, 120 died. In 1971, the number of persons contracting measles increased to 75,045. While the incidences of mental retardation and other complications which can result from measles are difficult to pinpoint, they represent a side effect of a disease which should be and is not completely under control. Rubella, or German measles, the Board reports, affected 56,552 persons in 1970, of which 77 died. While this number decreased in 1971 to 43,096, it could have been decreased by much more. Birth defects, such as blindness, deafness, and mental retardation resulting from this disease continue to be an unnecessary threat to the nation.

We support your efforts in this endeavor to control these and all other communicable diseases which are a serious health problem.

Sincerely,

NFP/jr

Ned F. Parish,
President

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Dear Mr. Chairman:

The National Chamber appreciates this opportunity to present its views on Titles I and II of S.3419, a bill relating to consumer product safety, pending before your subcommittee.

Attached is a statement we submitted to the Senate Commerce
Committee on S.983 and S.1797 on the same subject. In regard to the
issues of coverage, structure and transfers of function, S.983 and
S.1797 are substantially similar to S.3419. Therefore, our statement
bears on your current deliberations, and we respectfully submit it
for your consideration.

Concerning coverage, we oppose the Senate Commerce Committee's
interpretation which would extend coverage to consumer products not
"actually regulated". The phrase "subject to regulation" in Section 101
should be interpreted much more broadly, as discussed on page 7 of our
attached statement.

Structure and the ancillary issue of transfers of function are dealt with on page 9 of our statement. We oppose the creation of a new independent Consumer Safety Agency, believing instead that the functions should be placed in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

We hope that the National Chamber's statement on Consumer Product
Safety Legislation will be of assistance in your deliberations.

Cordially,

Hilton Havis

Hilton Davis
Legislative Action
General Manager

Enclosure

cc:

Subcommittee members
LeRoy Goldman, Staff
Dr. Philip Caper, Staff
Stanley Jones, Staff

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