110 HRES 1191 IH: Expressing support for designation of May U.S. House of Representatives 2008-05-13 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1191 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 13, 2008 Ms. Castor (for herself and Mr. Reichert) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing support for designation of May as National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.

Whereas allergies are among the most common and overlooked diseases in the United States; Whereas an estimated 50,000,000 or 1 in 5 Americans suffer from all types of allergies; Whereas the prevalence of allergies has consistently increased since the early 1980s in the United States across all age, sex, and racial groups; Whereas allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, and allergy is the third most common chronic disease among children under the age of 18; Whereas many allergic reactions are severe enough to cause death; Whereas it is estimated that the cost of allergies is nearly $7,000,000,000 each year; Whereas an estimated 20,000,000 or 1 in 15 Americans suffer from asthma, and 50 percent of asthma cases are “allergic-asthma”; Whereas, due to asthma, each day in America 40,000 people miss school or work, 30,000 people have an attack, 5,000 people visit the emergency room, 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital, and 11 people die; Whereas asthma is the most common chronic condition among children, affecting more than 1 of every 20 children; Whereas asthma is more common among children (7 to 10 percent) than adults (3 to 5 percent); Whereas nearly 5,000,000 asthma sufferers are under the age of 18; Whereas ethnic differences in asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality are highly correlated with poverty, urban air quality, indoor allergens, lack of patient education, and inadequate medical care; Whereas asthma accounts for one-quarter of all emergency room visits in the United States each year, with 2 million emergency room visits; Whereas each year, asthma accounts for more than 10,000,000 outpatient visits and 500,000 hospitalizations; Whereas 44 percent of all asthma hospitalizations are for children; Whereas asthma accounts for more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease; Whereas asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15; Whereas among children ages 5 to 17, asthma is the leading cause of school absences from a chronic illness; Whereas asthma accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million schooldays per year, which is approximately 8 days for each student with asthma, and it is estimated that children with asthma spend nearly 8 million days per year restricted to bed; Whereas the annual cost of asthma is estimated to be nearly $18,000,000,000; Whereas each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America declares May as National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month; and Whereas the month of May 2008 would be an appropriate month to designate a National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the goals and ideals of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month; (2)supports the designation of a National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month; (3)encourages local communities to raise awareness surrounding the prevalence of asthma and allergies; (4)encourages awareness about disparities in asthma cases based on race, ethnicity, and economic status; (5)recognizes and salutes health care professionals that treat asthma- and allergy-related health issues each day; and (6)recognizes and reaffirms the Nation’s commitment to continued education surrounding asthma and allergy treatment and symptoms and to advancing care for both asthma and allergy conditions.