[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1422-S1423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 180--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF APRIL 
 30, 2023, AS ``NATIONAL ADULT HEPATITIS B VACCINATION AWARENESS DAY''

  Ms. HIRONO submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 180

       Whereas up to 2,400,000 individuals in the United States 
     are chronically infected with hepatitis B, and up to \2/3\ of 
     individuals with chronic hepatitis B are unaware of their 
     infection;
       Whereas hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver 
     transmitted via infected blood and other bodily fluids, 
     including through mother-to-child transmission and injection 
     drug use;
       Whereas hepatitis B is associated with significant 
     disparities among communities of color (including Asian 
     Americans, Pacific Islanders, and African immigrants), sexual 
     and gender minority communities, and those affected by the 
     opioid crisis;
       Whereas individuals with chronic diseases, such as 
     diabetes, HIV, hepatitis C, and chronic liver disease, and 
     individuals on hemodialysis are at an increased risk for 
     hepatitis B co-infection;
       Whereas there is no cure for hepatitis B, and individuals 
     with chronic hepatitis B require lifelong medical care;

[[Page S1423]]

       Whereas chronic hepatitis B represents 1 of the most common 
     causes of liver cancer;
       Whereas 1 in every 4 individuals with unmanaged chronic 
     hepatitis B will develop liver cancer, cirrhosis, or liver 
     failure, with liver cancer having a 5-year survival rate of 
     only 18 percent in the United States;
       Whereas safe and highly effective vaccines to protect 
     against hepatitis B are available;
       Whereas, in accordance with universal childhood hepatitis B 
     vaccination recommendations in the United States, infants and 
     children have been routinely vaccinated against hepatitis B 
     since the 1990s;
       Whereas all adults between 19 and 59 years of age, and 
     adults 60 and older who have hepatitis B risk factors, are 
     recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis B;
       Whereas the hepatitis B vaccine, which is 95 percent 
     effective and was the first anticancer vaccine to be 
     developed, is projected to have prevented 310,000,000 cases 
     of hepatitis B worldwide from 1990 to 2020;
       Whereas only 30 percent of adults in the United States are 
     vaccinated against hepatitis B;
       Whereas the number of reported acute hepatitis B cases 
     increased by 11 percent nationwide from 2014 to 2018;
       Whereas, as a result of the drug use epidemic, there have 
     been significant regional increases in acute hepatitis B 
     cases in the United States, including--
       (1) a reported 489 percent increase from 2015 to 2016 in 
     Maine;
       (2) a reported 114 percent increase from 2009 to 2013 in 
     Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee;
       (3) a reported 78 percent increase in 2017 in southeastern 
     Massachusetts; and
       (4) a reported 56 percent increase from 2014 to 2016 in 
     North Carolina;
       Whereas 36 percent of new hepatitis B cases are among 
     individuals who inject drugs;
       Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious 
     than HIV and 5 to 10 times more infectious than hepatitis C; 
     and
       Whereas there are significant opportunities, particularly 
     with respect to the drug use epidemic, to prevent new 
     hepatitis B infections and thereby reduce the incidence of 
     liver cancer and cirrhosis through efforts to--
       (1) increase adult hepatitis B vaccination; and
       (2) maintain childhood hepatitis B vaccination: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of April 30, 2023, as 
     ``National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day'';
       (2) recognizes the importance of providing support and 
     encouragement--
       (A) for all adults to be tested for hepatitis B at least 
     once in their lifetime in accordance with recommendations;
       (B) for individuals susceptible to infection to be 
     vaccinated against hepatitis B; and
       (C) for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis B to be linked 
     to appropriate care; and
       (3) in order to reduce the number of new hepatitis B 
     infections and hepatitis B-related deaths, encourages a 
     commitment to--
       (A) increasing adult hepatitis B vaccination rates;
       (B) maintaining childhood hepatitis B vaccination rates; 
     and
       (C) promoting provider and community awareness of adult 
     hepatitis B vaccination.

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