FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 25, 2024

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: dan.kalmowitz@mail.house.gov

c: 202.819.4445

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) introduced the Peggy Lillis Clostridioides difficile Inclusion Act, legislation that would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) as a Nationally Notifiable Infectious Disease and Condition, along with other meaningful preventative measures against death and medical complications from C. diff infections.

This bill is named in honor of Peggy Lillis, a single mother and kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, New York who lost her life to a C. diff infection. Each year, it is estimated that there are 500,000 infections, which includes 20,000 children, and an estimated 30,000 deaths which are caused by C. diff in the United States. C. diff is a bacterium that can cause a range of symptoms from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Because C. diff infections are 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. While C. diff is more commonly found in white patients, Black patients tend to have worse outcomes-including greater risk for severe C. diff infections and greater risk for mortality. There is a glaring need for further action to track and monitor C. diff cases, implement effective prevention strategies, and address its many concerning health disparities.

“For too long, we have witnessed a tragic lack of research, knowledge, and support cause tens of thousands of Americans to lose their lives to C. diff infections, and many more to suffer from debilitating medical conditions due to the disease. In many of their cases, like that of my constituent Peggy Lillis, this deadly infection came as a devastating surprise.” said Rep. Clarke. “My legislation will require the CDC to acknowledge C. diff infections as the pervasive and serious disease that it is, and will put our nation on the necessary path towards overcoming it. I’m proud to stand as a leading voice against C. diff in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside the many like-minded and dedicated advocates in this space to see my legislation become law.

Specifically, the Peggy Lillis Clostridioides difficile Inclusion Act would:

• Require States to collect and report data on confirmed cases of C. diff.
• Require the HHS to establish standardized data elements, including demographic information, clinical information, and laboratory results, for the reporting of cases of C. diff.

“C. diff is a debilitating and too often deadly infection, hiding in plain sight, that causes 500,000 infections and 29,000 deaths each year, including my mother, Peggy Lillis, in 2010,” said Christian Lillis, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer of the Peggy Lillis Foundation. “We are grateful to Congresswoman Clarke for introducing this legislation to improve our efforts to track C. diff infections, which will allow us to take more direct actions to prevent C. diff and save lives.”

Read the full bill text here.

###