Antimicrobial Resistance
Also see important related information

• Letter supporting & commenting on Draft Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance which was developed by the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance  August 2, 2000
  
  
• Statement to FDA urging the agency not to allow antibiotics to be  dispensed without a prescription  June 28, 2000
  
  
• Letter from IDSA & SHEA supporting FDA plan to develop risk assessment model to account for potential transfer of resistance determinants from bacteria in food-producing animals to bacteria in humans   June 19, 2000
  
  
• News release stating IDSA's support for Public Health Emergencies legislation (and text of legislation--122.70kb, 23 pgs)  June 14, 2000
  
  
• Letters to FDA and CDC urging investigation of current nationwide shortages of certain antimicrobial agents that were identified by IDSA's Emerging Infections Network (EIN) and--more important--find solutions to the shortages  February 2, 2000
  
  
• Letter to Sen. Frist on IOM study to determine methods for collecting national information on antibiotic usage & resistance 
  November 8, 1999

• Letters sent to Congressional HHS Appropriations Conferees supporting increased funding for the Fogarty International Center at NIH  July 24, 2000
  
  
• Testimony before Congress urging increased funding for the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health   April 5, 2000
  
  
• Coalition letter asking Congress to allocate $4.1 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in FY 2001 March 9, 2000
  
  
• Coalition letter to Senate Appropriations in support of more funding for the Veterans Affairs (VA) for research in hepatitis C August 1999
  
  
• Coalition letters in May and March asking Congress to raise discretionary spending caps that would cut federal funding for biomedical research, emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism  May & March 1999
  
  
• Testimony on FY2000 Appropriations for the National Institute of 
  Allergy & Infectious Diseases and the CDC  April 14, 1999
  
  
• Full Statement on FY2000 Appropriations for the National 
  Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases and CDC  April 14, 1999

• News release stating IDSA's support for Public Health Emergencies legislation (and text of legislation 122.70kb, 23 pgs)  June 14, 2000
  
  
• Coalition letter asking Congress to raise discretionary spending caps that would cut federal funding related to bioterrorism and other health and education programs  March 11, 1999
  
  
• Testimony before a congressional hearing, urging federal policy makers to give appropriate attention to the role of civilian doctors and hospitals in combating bioterrorist attacks  March 1999

Food Safety
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• Facts About Food Irradiation 
  and where IDSA stands on the issue  May  24, 2000
  
  
• Food Irradiation Coalition statement to FDA on food irradiation of ready-to-eat meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable products  August 1999

General
Also see important related information

• Letter to the Institute of Medicine critiquing the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines for the regulation of occupational exposure to tuberculosis  July 27, 2000
  

• Response to State of Union address proposals on emerging infections, immunizations, HIV/AIDS & NIH funding  January 27, 2000

Health Care Access 
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• White Paper supporting Medicare coverage of outpatient antibiotic infusion therapy and letters to Congress requesting the necessary changes to cover Medicare beneficiaries  August 22, 2000

• Letter urging congressional conferees to support a Patients Bill of Rights which ensures that health plan members have access to ID specialists and point-of-service options  February 15, 2000
  
  

• Statement on the Public Health Consequences
  Of Lacking Insurance  November 30, 1999
  
  

• Comments on HCFA-1005-P (Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System for Hospital Outpatient Services)  June 30, 1999

• Letter to U.S. Senators urging them to support reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act, which funds a vital infrastructure of medical and social services for HIV/AIDS patients.  May 4, 2000
  
  
• Letter to congressional conferees supporting a Patients' Bill of Rights ensuring access to experienced HIV specialists, continuity of care, and patients' participation in clinical trials  February 12, 2000
  
  
• Letter to HCFA urging that federal Medicaid managed care regulations should reference federal HIV treatment guidelines as the standard of care for HIV/AIDS patients December 3, 1999
  
• Endorsed worldwide call to prevent babies from being infected with HIV, urging that new findings on Nevirapine be turned into clinical practice   September 1999

Immunizations & Vaccines
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• Letter opposing an amendment that would have forced the FDA--under the threat of lost funding--to change the way it selects the experts who serve on vaccine advisory committees  July 2000

• Letter calling Congress’s attention to the problems caused by recent budget cuts in the federal childhood immunization program 
  September 1999
  
  
• Testimony at a congressional oversight hearing on vaccine safety on safety of immunizations  August 1999
  
  
• Testimony at a congressional hearing on the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine  May 1999

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
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• Letter to Senator Roth expressing IDSA's opposition to a requirement in pending federal legislation that all condoms contain a warning label stating that condoms are not effective in preventing the transmission of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and that HPV can cause cervical cancer. IDSA is concerned that this requirement could result in a decrease in condom use and a corresponding increase in those STDs against which condom use has been shown to be effective.  May 2000