H.R. No. 2923
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is the most prevalent bloodborne disease
in the United States, affecting nearly four million Americans and
an estimated 218,000 to 325,000 Texans; and
WHEREAS, Because symptoms may not manifest for years, as many
as three-quarters of the individuals with the disease are unaware
that they are infected; left undetected and untreated, hepatitis C
can cause potentially life-threatening liver damage, and infected
persons can unknowingly transmit the disease to others; and
WHEREAS, Risks for transmission are associated with exposure
to contaminated blood through blood transfusions, blood products,
organ transplants, needle-stick injuries in health care settings,
unsterilized medical or tattoo equipment, sharing of personal care
items such as razors or toothbrushes, or being born to a hepatitis
C-infected mother; hepatitis C develops into a chronic infection in
over 75 percent of cases and is the leading cause of cirrhosis and
liver cancer, potentially requiring the need for liver transplant
in advanced stages; and
WHEREAS, While no vaccine exists for hepatitis C, recognizing
the risk factors can help decrease the chance of infection, and
timely screening and care of hepatitis C can reduce the risk of
liver cancer by as much as 70 percent and mortality rates by 50
percent; and
WHEREAS, Efforts to counter the spread of hepatitis C center
around educating health care workers, emergency services
personnel, and the general public, particularly veterans and aging
and minority populations that are disproportionately affected by
the disease; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends that all individuals born between 1945 and 1965 receive
a one-time hepatitis C test, which could save more than 100,000
lives; and
WHEREAS, Public awareness is a valuable tool in reducing the
burden of this serious condition, and with the cooperation of every
Texas citizen, we can advance the effective management and
treatment of this infection, prevent disability and loss of income,
and enable more people touched by hepatitis C to live full and
productive lives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize May 2015 as Hepatitis C Awareness
Month and urge all Texans to educate themselves about the causes,
symptoms, and treatment of hepatitis C.
Davis of Harris
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2923 was adopted by the House on May
21, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House