PRINTER'S NO. 3930
No. 758 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY O'BRIEN, ADOLPH, ALLEN, BAKER, BALDWIN, BEBKO- JONES, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BIANCUCCI, BISHOP, BOYD, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, CLYMER, CORRIGAN, COY, CRAHALLA, CRUZ, CURRY, DALEY, DENLINGER, DeWEESE, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, FABRIZIO, FICHTER, FLEAGLE, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GABIG, GEIST, GEORGE, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOOD, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARPER, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, HORSEY, JAMES, KILLION, LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LEDERER, LEH, LESCOVITZ, MAJOR, MANN, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McGILL, MICOZZIE, S. MILLER, MUSTIO, PALLONE, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, READSHAW, ROBERTS, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SANTONI, SATHER, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SEMMEL, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRUE, TURZAI, WALKO, WATSON, WEBER, WHEATLEY, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, ZUG AND FREEMAN, MAY 26, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MAY 26, 2004
A RESOLUTION 1 Declaring the month of June 2004 as "Hepatitis C Awareness 2 Month" in Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, Hepatitis is a known public health threat and is 4 known to be caused by many viruses; and 5 WHEREAS, Chronic viral hepatitis due to hepatitis C has been 6 a disease that has little or no public awareness due to its 7 nature as being largely asymptomatic until irreversible liver 8 damage has occurred; and 9 WHEREAS, Hepatitis C currently infects nearly 4 million 10 Americans, including an estimated 216,000 Pennsylvanians, and 11 there are about 30,000 new cases and approximately 10,000 deaths
1 each year in the United States; and 2 WHEREAS, The consequences of hepatitis C cost approximately 3 $7.5 million per 100,000 people; and 4 WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is largely nonreported and the public is 5 uninformed about the virus; and 6 WHEREAS, In the absence of a vaccine for hepatitis C, 7 emphasis must be placed on other means of disease prevention, 8 including education of health care workers, emergency services 9 workers, veterans and the general public; and 10 WHEREAS, Hepatitis C has been characterized by the World 11 Health Organization as a disease of primary concern to humanity; 12 therefore be it 13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives declare June 2004 14 as "Hepatitis C Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania and urge the 15 citizens of this Commonwealth to learn about the causes, 16 symptoms, diagnoses and treatments for hepatitis C. E14L82MRD/20040H0758R3930 - 2 -