Smith statement on coronavirus threat

Congressman Chris Smith, the ranking member of the House global health subcommittee, today called on Congress to immediately act on President Donald Trump’s  request for emergency funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) and other agencies’ response to the threat from the coronavirus.

“This week, the Trump administration is requesting at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to combat the coronavirus,” said Smith.  “The President, Secretary Azar, and others have moved swiftly to identify comprehensive ways to protect US citizens and prepare for a potential pandemic.”  Read the rest of this entry »

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See a doctor if you drank raw milk, federal officials warn

Federal officials are warning anyone who has consumed raw milk in the past six months to see a doctor. The warning issued by the Center for Disease Control came a week after the New Jersey Department of Health ordered Udder Milk stop selling its raw milk in the state. Whole Food expands recall of raw milk… Read the rest of this entry »

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CDC warns of new fungus infection that struck 2 in N.J.

Federal officials are warning doctors nationwide about a new fungal infection that is potentially fatal – and resistance to most antibiotics. Two of the seven cases reported so far involved New Jersey patients who were treated at the same unidentified New Jersey hospital, said the health care alert issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control… Read the rest of this entry »

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Flu still hitting N.J. hard, Monmouth County has the most cases

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Ebola scare on Newark flight as CDC holds passengers on plane

NEWARK — Officials from the Centers for Disease Control today were sent to check for signs of Ebola in a woman who vomited on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport after she had been in Sierra Leone, officials said. The woman, a health care worker returning from the West African nation still battling an Ebola… Read the rest of this entry »

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U.S. Ramps Up Ebola Response

The United States is issuing new protocols for health workers treating Ebola patients and a rapid-response military medical team will start training even as Americans’ anxiety about the spread of the virus abates with 43 people declared risk free. The government’s new guidelines, which were set to come out at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday, were… Read the rest of this entry »

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CDC says it missed opportunities to contain Ebola

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Overdose Deaths From Heroin On The Rise In The US

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that heroin deaths have risen sharply in many US states. The findings, published in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, were developed from death certificate data from 28 states. Despite this rise, twice as many people died from prescription opioid overdoses than… Read the rest of this entry »

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Mumps Outbreak Traced To D’Jais in Belmar

UPDATE, 9/6/13 D’Jais is closed voluntarily for the weekend

The Monmouth County Health Department is investigating 22 cases probable cases of mumps in the county, 15 of which have come forward since yesterday, according to a statement issued by County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis.

“Since yesterday, an additional 15 individuals with mumps-like symptoms have come forward,” County public health coordinator Michael Meddis said. “The medical professionals advised these individuals to be on bed rest, increase their fluid intake and take steps to reduce their fever.”

 

Twenty-one of the individuals are adults and most of them have been either a patron at or an employee of D’Jais in Belmar in the last several weeks. The one youth is of pre-school age.

 

Individuals in Monmouth County are from Asbury Park, Belmar, Farmingdale, Howell (4), Keyport, Long Branch (3), Neptune City, Tinton Falls and Wall. Individuals who reported hometowns from outside the county are from the New Jersey towns of Woodbridge, Saddle Brook, Ogdensburg, Emerson, Lawrenceville, Point Pleasant (2) and Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

 

The Monmouth County Health Department asks that if you are experiencing the swelling of salivary glands along with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite you should seek medical attention and call the Health Department at 732-431-7456.

 

Meddis added that the investigation is continuing as new cases are presented and to determine the source of transmission and identify close personal contacts.

 

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Autism Prevalence Worsens: 1-in-88 in U.S., 1-in-49 in NJ

WASHINGTON, DC – New alarming data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 1 in every 88 American children and 1 in every 49 New Jersey children has a form of autism.

            “The national numbers, including and especially in my home state of New Jersey, are shocking,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), author of Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, Public Law 112-32.  “Each one of these statistics represents real children and real families who struggle and need our help and assistance.”

            The study also found a continuing higher prevalence of ASDs in boys than girls (1-in-252 girls and 1-in-54 boys). However, in New Jersey, of the 1 in 49 children with a form of autism, Smith noted a staggering 1 in 29 boys with the disability.

“We as a nation must do much more, especially to determine causation and ensure early diagnosis, so interventional care can begin as early as possible. The stakes are so high: the quality of life of so many children is at risk. We need research, new treatments and a path to a cure.” said Smith, who also authored the provision in Title I of the Children’s Health Act (PL 106-310) which created the Centers of Excellence in Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology that carried out this study.

“Prevention, treatment and ultimately a cure for this developmental disability must be our highest priority.  We need to bring a ‘Manhattan Project’ type focus to this essential life saving work.  Delay is not an option,” Smith said. 

Smith’s landmark legislation enacted in 2000—the Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research and Epidemiology Act (Title I, P.L. 106-310) created the first comprehensive federal program to combat autism. In 2011, another piece of legislation he authored The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act(CARA)”— (now Public Law 112-32) was enacted and will provide $693 million over the next three years to continue the program.

            “The new CDC data shows a sharp increase from the appalling 2006 data that documented 1-in-110 children with an autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)—a 23 percent increase,” Smith said.

            This morning, Smith , the Co-Chairman of the Congressional Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.), spoke to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC, about the new data. The information was set to be released at a CDC briefing for Congress Thursday afternoon.

The CDC study, entitled Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, provides autism prevalence estimates from 14 states, including New Jersey. It was published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Smith’s law, CARA, signed September 30, 2011 authorized for each of the next three fiscal years: $22 million for the Developmental Disabilities Surveillance and Research Program; $48 million for Autism Education, Early Detection, and Intervention, and; $161 million for hundreds of Research Grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

In May 2011, Smith chaired a hearing on U.S. and global autism. He also has written two other bills in the current 112th Congress: 1) H.R. 2006, “The National Autism Spectrum Disorders Initiative Act”; and (2) H.R. 2007, “The Autism Spectrum Disorders Services Act.”  Smith’s H.R. 2006 designates the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services Department to head the national autism effort, and authorizes the Secretary to approve a strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), in consultation with the National Institute for Health.  H.R. 2007 establishes a planning and demonstration grant program for services to children, transitioning youth, adults, and individuals of any age who may be at risk of injury, authorizes grants for protection and advocacy systems, and creates a national training initiative to better equip teachers and autism services providers. 

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