[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 632 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 632
Recognizing July 28, 2023, as ``World Hepatitis Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2023
Ms. Velazquez (for herself, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Meng, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Smith of Washington, and Mr.
Davis of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing July 28, 2023, as ``World Hepatitis Day''.
Whereas hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and the incidence of liver disease caused
by these viruses, have become urgent problems of a global proportion;
Whereas an estimated 1,340,000 people worldwide die each year due to hepatitis;
Whereas an estimated 296,000,000 people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis B,
and an estimated 884,000 people worldwide die each year mostly due to a
liver-related illness caused by hepatitis B;
Whereas an estimated 71,000,000 people worldwide are chronically infected with
hepatitis C, and an estimated 399,000 people worldwide die each year due
to a liver-related illness caused by hepatitis C;
Whereas up to an estimated 5,900,000 people in the United States are infected
with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C, and up to an estimated 2,400,000
who are chronically infected with hepatitis B and up to an estimated
3,500,000 people who are chronically infected with hepatitis C;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (``CDC'') estimated that
there were 20,700 new acute hepatitis B infections and 57,500 new acute
hepatitis C infections, respectively, in the United States in 2019;
Whereas the CDC has found significant increases in the transmission of new
hepatitis cases in the United States since 2010, including a 63-percent
increase between 2015 and 2019 in reported cases of acute hepatitis C in
the United States;
Whereas chronic viral hepatitis claims thousands of lives each year in the
United States, with an estimated 14,242 deaths due to hepatitis C in the
United States in 2016;
Whereas up to an estimated 80 percent of people with acute hepatitis C do not
have any symptoms;
Whereas available data suggests that more than 70 percent of new hepatitis C
infections and 36 percent of new hepatitis B infections are among people
who inject drugs;
Whereas African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, Native
Americans, Alaska Natives, gay and bisexual men, and persons who inject
drugs intravenously all have higher rates of chronic viral hepatitis
infections in the United States than other groups of people;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders bear the greatest burden of
hepatitis B-related deaths in the United States;
Whereas between 2013 and 2017, liver cancer was the second most common cause of
death among Asian American and Pacific Islander males;
Whereas hepatitis C is 10 times more infectious than human immunodeficiency
virus (``HIV'');
Whereas hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV;
Whereas an estimated 33 percent of people who live in the United States and are
infected with HIV are also infected with hepatitis B or C;
Whereas life expectancies for persons infected with HIV have increased with
antiretroviral treatment, and liver disease, much of which is related to
hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections, has become the most common cause
of death among this population that is not related to acquired immune
deficiency syndrome;
Whereas, despite the fact that chronic viral hepatitis is the most common blood-
borne infection in the United States, over half of people living with
hepatitis B and hepatitis C are unaware of their infection;
Whereas hepatitis B is preventable through vaccination, and hepatitis C is
curable through antiretroviral treatment but less than a third of people
living with hepatitis C receive treatment;
Whereas both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are preventable with proper public
health interventions, including programs that offer access to sterile
injection equipment for people who inject drugs intravenously;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has released an updated
Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan focused on the elimination of
viral hepatitis via a syndemic approach by preventing new infections,
improving viral hepatitis-related health outcomes, reducing viral
hepatitis-related disparities and health inequities, improving
surveillance and data usage, and coordinating such efforts;
Whereas the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the CDC now
recommend that all adults aged 19 to 59 be vaccinated, and all adults
aged 18 and older be screened, for hepatitis B, shifting clinical
guidelines from a risk-based to a universal standard and recognizing
that previous hepatitis B interventions focusing only on at-risk
individuals were insufficient;
Whereas health department hepatitis services have been significantly reduced,
community-based organizations have had to reduce operations, severely
reducing hepatitis B and C testing, hepatitis B vaccination, and
community outreach, and persons living with hepatitis B or C have faced
increased challenges in accessing medical care and treatment due to
delayed appointments and deprioritization of routine hepatitis or
primary care services; and
Whereas the goals of ``World Hepatitis Day'' on July 28, 2023, are to--
(1) highlight the global nature of chronic viral hepatitis epidemics;
(2) recognize that hepatitis can be prevented and eliminated in part
through a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign designed to
identify those at risk for, and living with, hepatitis;
(3) inform patients about new treatments that are available for
hepatitis; and
(4) help increase the length and quality of life for people diagnosed
with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes ``World Hepatitis Day'';
(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;
(4) calls for a robust governmental and public health
response to protect the health of the approximately 5,900,000
people in the United States; and
(5) urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to
partner with State and local health departments to develop
strategies to increase the rate of hepatitis B adult
vaccination and hepatitis C treatment to the levels necessary
to eliminate new infections in the United States.
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