[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 236 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 236

      Recognizing July 28, 2017, as ``World Hepatitis Day 2017''.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2017

    Ms. Hirono (for herself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
                          Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Recognizing July 28, 2017, as ``World Hepatitis Day 2017''.

Whereas Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and the incidence of liver disease caused by 
        those viruses, have become urgent problems of a global proportion;
Whereas the World Health Organization has identified viral hepatitis as an 
        international public health challenge comparable to human 
        immunodeficiency virus (in this preamble referred to as ``HIV''), 
        tuberculosis, and malaria;
Whereas, in 2016, the World Health Organization released a global health sector 
        strategy on viral hepatitis that aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a 
        public health threat by 2030;
Whereas an estimated 240,000,000 individuals worldwide are chronically infected 
        with Hepatitis B and an estimated 686,000 individuals worldwide die each 
        year due to Hepatitis B;
Whereas an estimated 150,000,000 individuals worldwide are chronically infected 
        with Hepatitis C and an estimated 700,000 individuals worldwide die each 
        year due to Hepatitis C-related liver disease;
Whereas an estimated 1,000,000 individuals worldwide die each year due to liver 
        failure or primary liver cancer resulting from a chronic infection of 
        hepatitis;
Whereas an estimated 5,300,000 individuals in the United States are infected 
        with either Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, including 1,400,000 individuals 
        who are chronically infected with Hepatitis B and 2,700,000 individuals 
        who are chronically infected with Hepatitis C;
Whereas, in 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 
        there were 19,200 new Hepatitis B infections and 30,500 new Hepatitis C 
        infections, respectively, in the United States;
Whereas, since 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 
        significant increases in the transmission of new hepatitis cases in the 
        United States, including a 151-percent increase in new transmissions of 
        Hepatitis C in the United States between 2010 and 2013;
Whereas chronic viral hepatitis claims thousands of lives in the United States 
        each year, and in 2014 alone, there were 19,659 deaths due to Hepatitis 
        C in the United States;
Whereas an individual who has become chronically infected with Hepatitis B or 
        Hepatitis C may not have symptoms for up to 40 years after being 
        infected;
Whereas some groups of individuals in the United States have a higher rate of 
        chronic viral hepatitis infection than other groups of individuals in 
        the United States, including African-Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific 
        Islanders, Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, gay and bisexual 
        men, and individuals who inject drugs intravenously;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the highest rate of Hepatitis 
        B-related deaths in the United States;
Whereas Hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV;
Whereas Hepatitis C is 10 times more infectious than HIV;
Whereas an estimated 25 percent of individuals in the United States who are 
        infected with HIV are also infected with Hepatitis C;
Whereas life expectancies for individuals infected with HIV have increased with 
        antiretroviral treatment, and liver disease (largely attributed to 
        Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infections) has become the most common cause 
        of death among this population, aside from acquired immune deficiency 
        syndrome;
Whereas, despite the fact that chronic viral hepatitis is the most common blood-
        borne infection in the United States, an estimated 65 percent of 
        individuals with Hepatitis B and an estimated 75 percent of individuals 
        with Hepatitis C are unaware of the infection;
Whereas Hepatitis B is preventable through vaccination, and both Hepatitis B and 
        Hepatitis C are preventable with proper public health interventions, 
        including programs that offer access to sterile injection equipment for 
        individuals who inject drugs intravenously;
Whereas effective and safe treatment is available for individuals with Hepatitis 
        B and Hepatitis C, including new curative treatments for Hepatitis C; 
        and
Whereas ``World Hepatitis Day 2017'' will promote the elimination of viral 
        hepatitis through greater awareness, increased diagnosis, and key 
        interventions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes July 28, 2017, as ``World Hepatitis Day 
        2017'';
            (2) supports broad access to Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C 
        treatments;
            (3) supports raising awareness of the risks and 
        consequences of undiagnosed chronic Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C 
        infections; and
            (4) calls for a robust governmental and public health 
        response to protect the health of the approximately 5,300,000 
        individuals in the United States, and 390,000,000 individuals 
        worldwide, who suffer from chronic viral hepatitis.
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