[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 166 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. J. RES. 166

    To designate the week of May 29, 1994, through June 4, 1994, as 
           ``Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Awareness Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              March 7 (legislative day, February 22), 1994

 Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Metzenbaum) 
  introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
    To designate the week of May 29, 1994, through June 4, 1994, as 
           ``Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Awareness Week''.

Whereas more than 339,250 individuals in the United States have been diagnosed 
        with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (commonly known as AIDS) and 
        204,390 have died from the disease;
Whereas the Public Health Service has estimated that there are currently between 
        1,000,000 and 1,500,000 persons in the United States infected with AIDS;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 4,906 cases 
        of pediatric AIDS and 1,412 cases of adolescent AIDS as of October 1993;
Whereas 1 in 5 of all reported AIDS cases is diagnosed in the 20-29 year old age 
        group, and the median incubation period between human immunodeficiency 
        virus (HIV) infection and AIDS diagnosis is nearly 10 years, most of 
        those people in their 20's who are diagnosed with AIDS were adolescents 
        when they became infected;
Whereas AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death for children aged 1-4 in 
        1990; if the incidence of AIDS continues to increase, within the next 10 
        years AIDS may become the fifth leading cause of death among children of 
        all ages in the United States;
Whereas by the end of 1995, maternal deaths caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic will 
        have orphaned an estimated 24,600 children (under age 13) and 21,000 
        adolescents (aged 13-17) in the United States; unless the course of the 
        epidemic changes dramatically, by the year 2000 the overall number of 
        motherless children and adolescents will exceed 80,000;
Whereas in 1992 reported AIDS cases among women continued to grow at a faster 
        rate than among men, and for the first time, more than half the number 
        of women's cases were the result of heterosexual transmission, not 
        intravenous drug use;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 
        approximately 110,000 women in the United States are infected with HIV; 
        an estimated 6,000 are expected to give birth to children each year; 
        approximately 1,500-2,000 of these children will be infected with HIV;
Whereas more than 88 percent of children with AIDS have a parent with, or at 
        risk for, HIV infection;
Whereas 24 percent of reported pediatric AIDS cases in the United States have 
        occurred in New York City and the South Bronx has the highest HIV 
        seroprevalence rate among newborns in the United States;
Whereas Philadelphia ranks among American cities most impacted by reported AIDS 
        cases among children age 0-13, and these children belong to an estimated 
        1,400 HIV affected families;
Whereas 74 percent of women with AIDS and 79 percent of children with AIDS are 
        African-American or Hispanic, many of whom are underprivileged and have 
        experienced social discrimination;
Whereas there have been 1,183 cases of pediatric AIDS reported to the Centers 
        for Disease Control and Prevention in New York City; 260 cases in Miami, 
        Florida; 184 cases in Newark, New Jersey; 168 cases in San Juan, Puerto 
        Rico; 146 cases in Los Angeles, California; 138 cases in Washington, DC; 
        107 cases in West Palm Beach, Florida; 117 cases in Boston, 
        Massachusetts; 125 cases in Chicago, Illinois; 113 cases in Baltimore, 
        Maryland; 87 cases in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and 87 cases in 
        Houston, Texas;
Whereas instances of discrimination against children and youth with HIV occur in 
        schools and other institutions;
Whereas it is important that the people of the United States diligently seek 
        preventative measures and better solutions to care for women and youth, 
        including helping them gain access to HIV and other sexually transmitted 
        disease clinical therapies;
Whereas early intervention and educational resources must be made available to 
        all citizens, especially youth and other high-risk groups, to make them 
        more aware of AIDS and the risk associated with engaging in unprotected 
        sexual activity or substance abuse;
Whereas the Health Care Financing Administration and the Public Health Service 
        should work with appropriate State officials to help design optimal care 
        packages needed for children, youth and families with AIDS or HIV 
        infection especially as health care reform is undertaken; and
Whereas States and localities should recognize relative, extended family members 
        and other nonbiological relations as an appropriate source of foster 
        care for children with AIDS whose parents can no longer care for them, 
        subject to the same review and afforded the same benefits as other 
        foster parents: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That May 29 through June 4, 
1994, is designated as ``Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Awareness 
Week'', and the President is authorized and requested to issue a 
proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
the week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

                                 <all>