Bill Text: HI SR40 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Chikungunya Virus; Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee; Establishment

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-01 - The committee on HTH deferred the measure. [SR40 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-SR40-Introduced.html

---

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	40
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

STRONGLY URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, AND THE AIRPORTS DIVISION AND HARBORS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE THREAT OF an outbreak of Chikungunya VIRUS IN HAWAII.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is an isolated island state in the Pacific Ocean; and

 

     WHEREAS, historically Hawaii has been geographically vulnerable to viruses and infectious diseases, such as dengue fever, leprosy, and leptospirosis; and

 

     WHEREAS, the chikungunya virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito of mostly the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus species; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is one of the first known locations of an invasion by Aedes aegypti; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii officials had previously considered Aedes aegypti to be nonexistent in Hawaii by 1949, but the Department of Health discovered Aedis aegypti in mosquito traps set at the Honolulu International Airport in 2012; and

 

     WHEREAS, the chikungunya virus causes fever, headache, nausea, and severe joint pain that can last for years; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is no specific antiviral drug treatment or commercial vaccine for the virus, and treatment is focused on relieving symptoms through administration of antipyretics, optimal analgesics, and constant rehydration; and

 

     WHEREAS, the chikungunya virus has infected massive portions of Tahiti; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii receives many thousands of visitors every year from Tahiti, Tonga, American Samoa, and other Pacific islands on which there are confirmed cases of the virus and populations of the disease-carrying mosquito; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has experienced a steady increase over the past decade of confirmed cases of mosquito-borne diseases transmitting dengue and yellow fever; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has the hot and humid climate ideal for mosquitoes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Sanitation Branch of the Department of Health educates the public on basic disease preventative measures and protects state infrastructure by designing and implementing policies involving community sanitation and emergency response; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Vector Control Unit, a section of the Sanitation Branch, regulates, controls, and eradicates disease-carrying pests in the State, including mosquitoes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Vector Control Unit experienced a workforce reduction in 2009 that resulted in a reduced staff of four workers on Oahu, four on Kauai, two in Maui County, and two on Hawaii Island; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Department of Health, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Airports Division and Harbors Division of the Department of Transportation are strongly urged to establish an advisory committee to analyze the current threat of chikungunya virus in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the advisory committee be named the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the purpose of the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee be to research and report to the Legislature:

 

     (1)  Internal administrative measures that would provide the Vector Control Unit with the necessary personnel, training, and resources to establish a long-term strategy to control the growth of invasive mosquito species and mosquito-borne diseases in Hawaii;

 

     (2)  Public-private partnerships capable of resuming pest control services previously conducted by the Vector Control Unit, such as regular inspection and surveillance of confirmed cases of mosquito-borne viruses and inspection of properties that may host infected or live-breeding mosquitoes;

 

     (3)  Cost-effective and practical methods by which to educate the general public and incoming visitors on the common causes, symptoms, and preventative methods of chikungunya virus;

 

     (4)  Specific strategies to coordinate state and Vector Control Unit actions to undertake comprehensive surveillance, inspection, and treatment of individuals infected by a mosquito-borne virus and properties identified as sites commonly inhabited by live-breeding mosquitoes; and

 

     (5)  Practical and cost-effective emergency policies that would guide state administration of health care services statewide, with particular focus on providing health care services promptly to communities located in rural areas, following an outbreak of chikungunya virus; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee consist of the following members:

 

     (1)  One representative of the Vector Control Unit;

 

     (2)  One representative of the Sanitation Branch of the Department of Health;

 

     (3)  One representative of the Department of Health;

 

     (4)  One representative of the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

 

     (5)  One representative of the Department of Transportation Airports Division; and

 

     (6)  One representative of the Department of Transportation Harbors Division; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee select a chairperson from among themselves, and the chairperson is requested to convene meetings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee serve without compensation but be reimbursed for expenses necessary for the performance of their duties; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee submit its written findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee cease to exist on June 30, 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Chikungunya Virus; Chikungunya Virus Advisory Committee; Establishment