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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The month of May is nationally recognized as
3Hepatitis Awareness Month, thanks to the "Know More Hepatitis"
4campaign initiative undertaken by the United States Centers for
5Disease Control's Division of Viral Hepatitis; the campaign is
6designed to increase awareness about the hidden epidemic that
7affects the lives of so many; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Hepatitis is a disease that primarily affects the
9liver through inflammation; toxins, certain drugs, heavy
10alcohol use, and bacterial and viral infections can all cause
11hepatitis; the most common types are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B,
12and Hepatitis C, each caused by three different viruses; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Hepatitis is particularly dangerous because the
14symptoms do not manifest upon contraction and in some cases,
15not even in more advanced stages; this unfortunately leads to
16individuals going unaware of their infection; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Of the three most prevalent types of hepatitis,
18the Hepatitis C virus is the most pernicious; there are
19vaccines for Hepatitis A and B, but no such vaccine exists for
20Hepatitis C; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted through

 

 

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1exposure to infected blood; most cases result from sharing
2needles or other paraphernalia used to inject drugs; prior to
31992, when screening for the virus was not common practice,
4Hepatitis C was frequently spread through blood transfusions
5and organ transplants; there are certain demographics that have
6been identified as most at-risk; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Anyone can get Hepatitis C, but baby boomers are
8five times more likely; more than 75% of adults infected are
9baby boomers; and
 
10    WHEREAS, According to the CDC, in 2013, there were an
11estimated 29,718 cases of acute Hepatitis C virus infections
12reported in the United States; an estimated 3.5 million people
13in the United States have chronic Hepatitis C; approximately
1475-85% of the people who become infected with Hepatitis C
15develop a chronic infection; and
 
16    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public
17Health, from 2005 to 2015, there were 80,068 cases of chronic
18or resolved Hepatitis C virus infections reported, with 171
19other cases reported to be acute forms of the infection; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Of those infected in Illinois, more than half were
21between the ages of 46 and 60; almost 35% were white, nearly
2216% African-American, 1.12% Asian, and 46% were unknown; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, During that same period, Cook County reported the
2overwhelming majority of cases in Illinois with over 36,000;
3the City of Chicago alone accounted for almost 13,000; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Numerous private and public organizations such as
5the American Liver Foundation, the Illinois State Medical
6Society, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Illinois
7Department of Public Health, and the CDC have championed
8efforts to raise awareness and to find solutions to the
9problems resulting from the Hepatitis C virus in Illinois and
10across the country; and
 
11    WHEREAS, With this initiative in mind, and as a means to
12help various groups work together to find solutions to many of
13the problems resulting from the virus, the Hepatitis C Task
14Force was created in Illinois in 2013 with bipartisan support
15in both chambers of the General Assembly; the Task Force has
16been working diligently to develop strategies and to identify
17and address the needs of those infected with Hepatitis C to
18improve patient quality of life; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The commendable efforts of State agencies,
20advocacy groups, and concerned citizens to help raise awareness
21of Hepatitis C have undoubtedly helped to reduce the spread of
22the disease; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3designate May of 2016 as "Hepatitis C Awareness Month" in the
4State of Illinois; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6delivered to the Governor of Illinois, all other constitutional
7officers, and all members of the Illinois General Assembly in
8order to bring further awareness of the prevalence of the
9Hepatitis C virus in our State and around the country.