SLS 21RS-1911 ORIGINAL 2021 Regular Session SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 90 BY SENATOR HEWITT SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH. Designates the month of May 2021 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in Louisiana. 1 A RESOLUTION 2 To designate the month of May 2021 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in Louisiana. 3 WHEREAS, Cystic Fibrosis, commonly referred to as CF, is a genetic disease 4 affecting approximately thirty thousand children and adults in the United States and nearly 5 seventy thousand children and adults worldwide, approximately three hundred fifty of whom 6 live in Louisiana; and 7 WHEREAS, CF involves a defective gene that causes the body to produce an 8 abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, and these secretions produce 9 life-threatening lung infections and obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes 10 from reaching the intestines to help break down and absorb food; and 11 WHEREAS, more than ten million Americans are symptomless carriers of the 12 defective CF gene, and CF occurs in approximately one in every three thousand five hundred 13 live births in the United States; and 14 WHEREAS, the median age of survival for a person with CF is forty-six years; and 15 WHEREAS, with advances in the treatment of CF, the number of adults living with 16 CF has steadily grown, and approximately one thousand new cases of CF are diagnosed each 17 year; and 18 WHEREAS, fifty-six percent of persons with CF are eighteen years of age and older, Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 90 SLS 21RS-1911 ORIGINAL 1 and people with CF have a variety of symptoms attributed to the more than one thousand 2 seven hundred mutations of the CF gene; and 3 WHEREAS, an infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is the most reliable 4 and least costly method to identify persons likely to have CF; and 5 WHEREAS, early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and enhances quality of 6 life and longevity, and the treatment of CF depends on the stage of the disease and the 7 organs involved; and 8 WHEREAS, clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part of the daily CF 9 treatment regimen, and other types of treatments include inhaled antibiotics and pancreatic 10 enzymes; and 11 WHEREAS, there are four world-class treatment centers in Louisiana which 12 specialize in the diagnosis of CF and the care of persons with CF; and 13 WHEREAS, a critical component of treating patients with CF includes access to 14 innovative treatments, which can play a crucial role in the lives of patients with CF; and 15 WHEREAS, improving both length and quality of life for people with CF begins 16 with earlier diagnosis and a greater awareness of the disease and its consequences. 17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 18 does hereby designate the month of May 2021 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in 19 Louisiana. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Brandi Cannon. DIGEST SR 90 Original 2021 Regular Session Hewitt Designates May 2021 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in Louisiana. Page 2 of 2