Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and committee chairman, responds to concerns by Rep. Robin Hayes of Concord, North Carolina, that committee staffers should be immunized against certain diseases before attending NASCAR races.
"Since committee staff members are visiting hospital and other health-care facilities available at or near these venues, including areas where groups of people are detained before being transferred to other off-site facilities, I believe that the recommendation (not requirement) that our congressional staff receive these same immunizations was sound," Mr. Thompson said.
"I am sure you would agree that providing immunizations to personnel involved in public safety is good public health policy, and there is no need to exclude staff from taking the preventative measures that the public health community recommends — regardless of why and where mass gatherings are taking place," Mr. Thompson said.
The House Homeland Security Committee staffers are on a peculiar mission to study "public health issues at events involving mass gatherings," and were told to get shots for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, and influenza.
"I have been to numerous NASCAR races, and the folks who attend these events certainly do not pose any health hazard to congressional staffers or anyone else," Mr. Hayes said.
A committee staffer says that the Republican staffers have declined the shots but that two Democrat staffers were immunized before attending the race at Talladega last weekend.
Source:
The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
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