Peggy Lillis Clostridioides difficile Inclusion Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9098 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9098 To provide for surveillance of Clostridioides difficile, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 23, 2024 Ms. Clarke of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To provide for surveillance of Clostridioides difficile, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Peggy Lillis Clostridioides difficile Inclusion Act''. (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Clostridioides difficile (referred to in this section as ``C.diff'') is a bacterium that can cause a range of symptoms from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. (2) C. diff infections are a significant public health concern, leading to substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in the United States. An estimated 500,000 infections, including 20,000 in children, occur in the United States each year, causing an estimated 30,000 deaths. Because C.diff infections is not mandatorily reported by outpatient facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and others, this number likely does not account for the full burden of C. diff infections. The estimated attributable cost of C.diff infections in the United States is $1,000,000,000. (3) Tracking and monitoring of C. diff cases is essential for understanding the disease epidemiology, implementing effective prevention and control strategies, and ensuring public health and health care providers have to necessary resources to improve health outcomes, address health dispariti