[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4433-S4434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 236--RECOGNIZING JULY 28, 2017, AS ``WORLD HEPATITIS 
                               DAY 2017''

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

                              S. Res. 236

       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

[[Page S4434]]

     the United States, and 390,000,000 individuals worldwide, who 
     suffer from chronic viral hepatitis.

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