KENNEDY, ENZI REQUEST INFORMATION FROM CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ON TUBERCULOSIS PATIENT

WASHINGTON, D.C—Today, Senators Edward Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Ranking Member Michael Enzi sent letters to Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Secretary Michael Chertoff of the Department of Homeland Security requesting information on interactions with Andrew Speaker, the man infected with drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Chairman Kennedy and Senator Enzi requested specific times, documents, guidelines, and current procedures from both the CDC and DHS for dealing with similar situations. The letters appear below.