Vivek Murthy, President Joe Biden’s pick to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, said the Department of Health and Human Services is committed to strengthening evidence-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, and care for children with FASD, in response to a question from Senator Lisa Murkowski. Murthy is seeking to return as the Nation’s Doctor overseeing the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a position he held from 2014 to 2017. Senator Murkowski, a longtime champion of FASD prevention and support for individuals and families, called attention to the alarming rates of prenatal alcohol exposure in raising the issue during Dr. Murthy’s confirmation process before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier this month. Murkowski and Senator Amy Klobuchar plan to reintroduce the Advancing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Research, Prevention, and Services Act in the coming weeks.
A Senate vote on Dr. Murthy’s nomination has not yet been scheduled.
Senator Lisa Murkowski Question on FASD: Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading known cause of intellectual disabilities in the U.S. At least one in nine pregnancies are exposed to alcohol. As a result, as many as one in 20 children suffer the lifelong cognitive and mental health impairments known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or FASD.The Office of the Surgeon General has issued key statements on alcohol and pregnancy, but not recently. In 1981, the Surgeon General advised that women who are pregnant (or considering pregnancy) should not drink alcoholic beverages and urged health professionals to inquire routinely about alcohol consumption. A second, similar advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy was issued in 2005.
Additionally, there have been limited public health campaigns on the dangers of prenatal substance abuse, beyond alcohol. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies are making progress toward the goal of assimilating alcohol screening into routine clinical practice, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an alarming increase in alcohol consumption, and experts are concerned about the rise of prenatal alcohol and substance abuse.
Dr. Murthy, considering the increased prenatal alcohol exposure, the binge drinking rates, substance abuse, and your role in the President’s COVID pandemic response, it seems timely to break the 16-year silence since the last Surgeon General statement on alcohol and pregnancy, and a need to take action to prevent prenatal substance abuse. Given the importance of health communication that is non-stigmatizing and appropriately addresses current social determinants of health and population health disparities, if confirmed as U.S. Surgeon General would you issue an updated advisory on the risks associated with prenatal alcohol exposure and support efforts to re-establish a national agenda on FASD research, prevention and services?
Dr. Vivek Murthy Answer: As a physician and during my prior service as Surgeon General, I saw firsthand the heavy consequences alcohol dependence and substance use disorders have on individuals, communities. While preventable, we know that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) remain highly prevalent in the United States. In the Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health published in 2016, I highlighted the importance of FASD; the need to invest in expanding the scientific evidence base for prevention, treatment, and recovery; and a necessary cultural shift in how we think about addiction to eliminate stigma. The Department is committed to strengthening evidence-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, and care for children in the United States with FASD. If confirmed, I would appreciate the opportunity to work with you to further our impact on this issue.
Update: Vivek Murthy was confirmed as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States on March 23, 2021.
