CDC Timeline re Morgellons Research

The Morgellons Research Foundation (MRF) fully supports the formal efforts by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Division of Research to investigate Morgellons disease.

For updates on the investigation of Morgellons disease in the U.S., please call pre-recorded Morgellons disease info line at CDC at 404-718-1199 to hear a brief statement about this illness. If you wish, you may leave a message at the end of the recording. You may email the CDC about Morgellons at MorgellonsSyndrome@CDC.gov.



The CDC Website
Click here to view the latest updates on the CDC Morgellons investigation on the CDC website.



Click on the links below to see the full document.



  • December 16, 2008
    View letter from the CDC to the State Medical Associations.

    CDC sends letter with information about the Morgellons investigation to all state medical associations.

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  • January 16, 2008
    Read complete transcript of Media Briefing.

    CDC and Kaiser Permanente hold media briefing to answer questions about the CDC Morgellons investigation. Read the written transcript of the media briefing.

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  • November 1, 2007
    November 1, 2007, CDC awards Morgellons contract to Kaiser Permanente.

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  • October 23, 2007
    Read complete transcript U.S. Senate Bill 1710. Morgellons excerpt, pages 76-77, see below.

    Both houses of Congress approved the FY2008 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill including an urgent recommendation by the Senate Committee on Appropriations that CDC study Morgellons Disease as quickly as possible. The bill was vetoed by President Bush the following month.

    Excerpt: Morgellons Disease.—The Committee urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study an unexplained skin condition commonly known as Morgellons Disease, which affects over 10,000 individuals with skin lesions, joint pain, and neurological difficulties, among other symptoms. The Committee encourages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work as quickly as possible to plan and begin this important research to increase the amount of information available to practitioners and the public.

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  • July 31, 2007
    Read complete copy of CDC Morgellons Request for Quotations (RFQ).

    CDC submits Request for Quotations for Morgellons disease investigation:
    "Morgellons is an unexplained and debilitating condition that has emerged as a public health concern. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received an increased number of inquiries from the public, health care providers, public health officials, Congress, and the media regarding this condition. Persons who suffer from this condition report a range of coetaneous symptoms including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules, threads or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin; and/or skin lesions (e.g., rashes or sores) and some sufferers also report systemic manifestations such as fatigue, mental confusion, short term memory loss, joint pain, and changes in vision. Moreover, some who suffer from this condition appear to have substantial morbidity and social dysfunction, which can include decreased work productivity or job loss, total disability, familial estrangement, divorce, loss of child custody, home abandonment, and suicidal ideation.

    As of February 2007, approximately 10,000 families had registered with the Morgellon’s Research Foundation (MRF) and felt they or a family member met criteria for Morgellons as defined by the MRF. Of the U.S. families in the MRF registry, 24% reside in California with geographic clustering in the San Francisco metropolitan area.

    The etiology of this condition is unknown, and the medical community has insufficient information to determine whether persons who identify themselves as having this condition have a common cause for their symptoms or share common risk factors. An epidemiologic investigation is needed to better characterize the clinical and epidemiologic features of this condition; to generate hypotheses about factors that may cause or contribute to sufferers’ symptoms; and to estimate the prevalence of the condition in the population; and to provide information to guide public health recommendations. A contractor is needed who can provide timely services to assist the CDC in the investigation of this emerging public health problem."

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  • July 14, 2007
    Click here for CDC notice on FBO website

    CDC places notice in Federal Business Opportunities website saying that Kaiser will meet the government's needs. CDC will issue a public Request for Quotation (RFQ) on July 31 which will allow all sources to submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by CDC.

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  • June 12, 2007
    Click here for CDC Morgellons web page.

    CDC launches web page with information about "Unexplained Dermopathy" (aka 'Morgellons')

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  • March 28, 2007
    Notice that the CDC removed the Delusional Parasitosis web page.

    CDC Removes Delusional Parasitosis web page from the Division of Parasitic Diseases site.

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  • December 6 2006
    Read Clinton/Schumer letter to CDC.

    US Senators for New York, Hilary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer sign single letter to CDC Director asking CDC to expedite their investigation of Morgellons disease.

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  • November 2006
    Physician who is director of MRF Medical Advisory Board asks CDC to meet with MRF to discuss Morgellons disease. After several weeks, CDC responds that CDC is not willing to meet with MRF.

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  • Late 2006
    CDC, in conjunction with the CA Department of Health Services, informed the media that an official CDC investigation of Morgellons disease would be launched in the state of California in August 2006. The start of the investigation was delayed until September 2006, and then again to October 2006. CDC then stated that the investigation in California would likely take place in the first quarter of 2007.

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  • June 2006
    CDC spokesperson announces to media that CDC task force devoted to Morgellons disease, has been formed, and has begun having internal meetings.

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  • May 2006
    California Dept of Health Services asks CDC for help investigating reports of Morgellons disease in California.

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  • April 26, 2006
    Read letter from CDC Director to patients.

    CDC Director begins directly contacting Morgellons patients in response to requests for help for these patients from US Senators. CDC director informs these patients that CDC would develop a multi-disciplinary work group to address the issue.

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  • April 5 2006
    Read Senator Feinstein’s letter to CDC.

    US Senator for California, Dianne Feinstein, writes strongly worded letter to CDC Director stating the need for CDC to take more aggressive action on surveillance, prevention and treatment of this disease.

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  • February 14, 2006
    Revised case definition of Morgellons disease, sent to CDC by MRF Medical Advisory Board.

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  • November 29, 2005
    Draft case definition of Morgellons disease, developed by physicians on MRF Medical Advisory Board, sent to CDC.

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  • October 2005
    MRF Medical Advisory Board and Board of Directors officially requests a conference call with CDC to discuss reports of Morgellons disease in the U.S. CDC asks MRF Board for available conference dates. MRF receives email from CDC stating that CDC is not willing to participate in this conference call.

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  • April 2005
    Read CDC letter to MRF.

    CDC director responds to request for meeting from MRF. Director voices concern for the situation and confirms that CDC is actively working with dermatologists to establish a case definition.

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  • June 2004
    Read first CDC response to US Senators, dated June 18, 2004.

    CDC director begins responding to US Senators inquiring about assistance for their constituents with Morgellons disease, and assures dozens of members of Congress that there is no cause for alarm.

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  • May 2004
    The Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Texas Department of State Health Services(DSHS) confers with CDC about reports of Morgellons disease in Texas, after US Senator for John Cornyn asks TX DSHS to investigate. These two agencies conclude that no public health investigation is warranted, and patients are told to see their physicians.

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  • October 2003
    Read California DHS Letter to Morgellons Research Foundation (MRF).

    Senior staff of the Infectious Diseases Branch of the California Dept of Health Services confers with CDC about cases of Morgellons disease in California, after being alerted to apparent clusters of the disease in the state. These two agencies conclude that no public health investigation is warranted, and patients are told to see their physicians.


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