Excess Congressional Flu Vaccine Should Be Donated to Seniors and Others at High Risk

Pelosi: Excess Congressional Flu Vaccine Should Be Donated to Seniors and Others at High Risk

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today sent a letter to the Capitol's attending physician, Dr. John F. Eisold, urging him to donate excess Congressional flu vaccine to seniors and others at high risk.

"As communities nationwide struggle to meet the need for extra doses of the flu vaccine, Members of Congress and their staffs should not be given special treatment," Pelosi wrote. "We should follow the same CDC criteria as the rest of the country. After the needs of the Capitol Hill complex are met, I urge you to donate the remaining doses of vaccine to the District of Columbia Department of Health to be given to seniors and others at high risk of serious complications from the flu."

Below is the full text of the letter:

October 20, 2004

Dr. John F. Eisold
Attending Physician
United States Capitol
H-166, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Dr. Eisold:

For the third time in the last four years, Americans face a critical shortage of flu vaccine. As you know, the current shortage of influenza vaccine is forcing seniors and parents with young children to wait in line for hours to receive their flu shots, and hundreds have been turned away because of the shortage.

According to news stories in today's editions of The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, your office currently has thousands of doses of the vaccine that are being made available to Members of Congress, staff and other employees in the Capitol complex, regardless of whether they meet the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for vaccine distribution.

As communities nationwide struggle to meet the need for extra doses of the flu vaccine, Members of Congress and their staffs should not be given special treatment. We should follow the same CDC criteria as the rest of the country. After the needs of the Capitol Hill complex are met, I urge you to donate the remaining doses of vaccine to the District of Columbia Department of Health to be given to seniors and others at high risk of serious complications from the flu.

Thank you for hard work and tireless service on behalf of our Members and staff. We are fortunate to have someone dedicated to serving our community with distinction, both through the course of this nationwide vaccine shortage and in the future.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic Leader