U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore City, said his bill will help Maryland to be the model in the fight against infectious diseases.
“I want people to look back on us in 2007 and say they started the ball rolling and were vigilant,” said Cummings at Tuesday?s news conference in his Baltimore City office.
His bill, titled Community and Healthcare Associated Infections Reduction Act of 2007, wouldcreate a national database to track cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and other infectious diseases.
In addition, all hospitals would be required to inform the public of infectious diseases cases, according to his proposal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now monitors infectious diseases for some states, not including Maryland.
“I try to give people as much information as they can get into their hands, so they can make informed decisions,” he said.
“We desperately need national legislation,” said William Vaughan, senior policy analyst for health with Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.
“This is a major, major public health emergency.”
