[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S4037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 117--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MAY 9, 2005, AS 
                ``NATIONAL HEPATITIS B AWARENESS WEEK''

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Santorum) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 117

       Whereas hepatitis B is the most common serious liver 
     infection in the world;
       Whereas chronic hepatitis B infections cause 80 percent of 
     all primary liver cancer cases worldwide;
       Whereas 10,000,000 to 30,000,000 people will be infected 
     with the hepatitis B virus worldwide in 2005;
       Whereas approximately 100,000 people in the United States 
     will become infected with hepatitis B virus this year alone;
       Whereas fewer than 10 percent of diagnosed chronic 
     hepatitis B patients in the United States are currently 
     receiving treatment for their disease;
       Whereas healthcare and work loss costs from liver disease 
     and liver cancer-caused hepatitis B infections total more 
     than $700,000,000 annually;
       Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     (CDC) estimates that 1,250,000 Americans are already infected 
     with hepatitis B and nearly 6,000 will die of liver 
     complication each year;
       Whereas a person who has become infected with hepatitis B 
     may not have symptoms for up to 40 years after the initial 
     infection has occurred, and there is currently no routine 
     screening in place for early detection;
       Whereas the CDC has identified African-Americans, Asian-
     Americans, and Pacific Islanders, as well as Native Americans 
     and Alaskan Natives, as having higher rates of hepatitis B 
     infection in the United States;
       Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 
     more than half of the chronic hepatitis B cases and half of 
     the deaths resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection in 
     the United States; and
       Whereas there is need for a comprehensive public education 
     and awareness campaign designed to help infected patients and 
     their physicians identify and manage the secondary prevention 
     of the disease and to help increase the length and quality of 
     life for those diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of May 9, 2005, as ``National 
     Hepatitis B Awareness Week'';
       (2) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     the week with appropriate programs and activities; and
       (3) supports raising awareness of the consequences of 
     untreated chronic hepatitis B and the urgency to seek 
     appropriate care as a serious public health issue.

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