Congress Divided Over Whether They
Will Be Receiving the Swine Flu Vaccine
By Jordy Yager - 10/23/09 01:39 PM ET Democratic and Republican lawmakers cannot agree on whether to get the swine flu vaccine even after this week’s first reported case of a member of Congress catching the illness.
The debate on Capitol Hill mirrors one taking place all across the country, as a new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows a majority of Americans increasingly worried that they or a member of their family will contract the H1N1 virus but also that six in 10 are not planning to get the vaccine.
The Office of the Attending Physician (OAP) began vaccinating the most vulnerable members and staffers this week as instances of swine flu spread throughout the campus from House pages to lawmakers. Members are not given preferential treatment.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) this week was the first lawmaker to admit to having swine flu. His announcement came as 10 House pages, who have daily interaction with members, also reported having flu-like symptoms.
Production of the vaccine has lagged behind goals laid out earlier in the year by federal officials, with only 15 million doses available to date. Health officials hope to have 50 million by the middle of November and 150 million by December.
In the meantime, Capitol Hill doctors are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines by limiting their doses to pregnant women, children under 5, health professionals and people with pre-existing medical conditions.
While Walden is officially the first member to contract the virus, Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) suspects he may have already had the swine flu.
Shortly after the U.S. began to report instances of people infected with the swine flu in the spring, the office of the Architect of the Capitol (AoC) oversaw the installation of nearly 400 hand-sanitizer stations throughout the Capitol complex to “prevent the spread of germs.” It is not planning to buy any more.
“I pay a little more attention to those machines as I go by them, but other than that, no,” he said, adding that he wasn’t planning on getting vaccinated.
Some members are concerned about their children, who fall into one of the CDC’s target groups.
But Brady’s not too sure that he’ll be able to abide by those guidelines.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) has also been trying to break some of his less-than-hygienic habits.
“One thing I’ve been trying to be very careful of is putting my hands close to my face,” he said. “It’s a bad habit that’s tough to break.”
Cuellar said he’s been extra vigilant with his wife and two young girls to get them to wash their hands more than usual. He also said he has not gotten vaccinated but is planning to.
“My doctor told me years ago, if you shake so many hands, wash your hands. But other than that I’m not doing a whole lot. I’m still flying on airplanes,” he said, adding that he hasn’t started shaking hands any less than usual.
Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) said he knows people in his district who have gotten the virus but that he’s still got a clean bill of health.
He’s also still got his sense of humor.
Asked what precautions he’s taken to remain healthy, the freshman said, “just washing my hands. Oh, and I stopped sneezing on people.”
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