[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9304 of July 27, 2015

World Hepatitis Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Around the world, doctors, medical researchers, and other professionals
dedicated to health care and public health are working hard every day to
combat disease and build healthier communities. Their efforts have led
to improved sanitation, cleaner water, better access to care, and
improvements in how we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Today, on
World Hepatitis Day, we join in these efforts to improve lives here at
home and abroad by raising awareness of a silent epidemic and
reaffirming our commitment to combat it.
Nearly 400 million people worldwide are living with viral hepatitis, and
more than 1 million people die each year from this disease. Yet because
hepatitis often persists silently for years before revealing any
symptoms, many -- including about two-thirds of the Americans who live
with it -- are unaware of their infection status, which can lead to
long-term liver damage and death.
Prevention and early detection are essential to saving lives. Safe and
effective vaccines for hepatitis A and B are widely available, and
simple blood tests for hepatitis B and C can lead to early detection and

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life-saving care and treatment, including the cure of the infection. I
encourage all Americans to ask their health care provider about
hepatitis, and to learn more by visiting www.CDC.gov/Hepatitis.
As President, I am committed to advancing the fight against viral
hepatitis infections. The Affordable Care Act has increased access to
quality, affordable health care for millions of Americans -- creating
more opportunities for early detection of viral hepatitis -- and it
requires most insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services
without copays, including hepatitis A and B vaccines and hepatitis B and
C screenings. New protections under the law also eliminate annual and
lifetime dollar limits on coverage and prohibit insurers from denying
coverage because of pre-existing conditions, including hepatitis.
Guided by our Action Plan for the Prevention, Care, and Treatment of
Viral Hepatitis, my Administration is working with government, private,
and non-profit organizations to ensure that new cases of viral hepatitis
are prevented. We also remain invested in addressing related health
issues such as liver cancer, HIV infection, and substance use disorders,
and the disproportionate impact viral hepatitis infections have on
African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and American
Indians and Alaska Natives, as well as our Nation's young people.
Today, we renew our commitment to those impacted by hepatitis and to all
those we have lost to this disease. Let us resolve to break the silence
surrounding hepatitis, and redouble our efforts to defeat it in all its
forms.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 28, 2015, as
World Hepatitis Day. I encourage citizens, Government agencies, non-
profit organizations, and communities across the Nation to join in
activities that will increase awareness about hepatitis and what we can
do to prevent it.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day
of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA