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Legislators ask for national surveillance of neurological illnesses
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The Senate health committee today recommended the establishment of a national surveillance system for neurological diseases.
The objective of the “Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2015” (S. 849), sponsored by Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is to enhance and coordinate efforts to track the epidemiology of neurological diseases in the United States, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. The bill provides for the collection and analysis of data on the incidence and prevalence of these diseases, as well as information pertaining to demographics, risk factors, diagnosis and disease progression markers.
Johnny Isakson
Chris Murphy
Isakson, who announced in 2015 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, said the collection of this information would help to advance treatment efforts in the U.S.
“We can accumulate a body of evidence and clues that can give us the chance to have breakthroughs on any one of those diseases … if not all of them,” he said.
Murphy added that the data registry provided for within the bill will help to connect the experiences of those affected by neurological diseases with current national research efforts.
“What this bill really is about is creating a doorway that allows for people who are struggling every day with this illness to walk through and greet those who are working on pathways to cures and treatments,” he said.