Bill Text: NJ AR194 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Praises and thanks medical professionals treating Ebola patients in West Africa.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-12-15 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [AR194 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR194-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Praises and thanks medical professionals treating Ebola patients in West Africa.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution praising and thanking medical professionals treating Ebola patients in West Africa.
Whereas, Ebola virus disease, or Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal disease in humans; and
Whereas, Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in Sudan and the other in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter outbreak occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name; and
Whereas, The current outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976. There have been more cases and more deaths in this outbreak than all others combined; and
Whereas, Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, and fruit bats; and
Whereas, The virus then spreads by human-to-human transmission through direct contact with the blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. A person remains infectious as long as their blood or bodily fluids contain the virus; and
Whereas, Medical professionals and other health care workers have frequently been infected while testing for, or treating patients suspected or confirmed to have been infected with, the Ebola virus; and
Whereas, To date, of the more than 13,000 reported cases of the Ebola virus in West Africa, about ten percent of those who have died are medical professionals and other health care workers who have courageously volunteered to help mitigate the spread of the virus and treat those who have become infected; and
Whereas, These deaths are often attributable to close, prolonged contact with a patient who is actively having symptoms and the lack of personal protective equipment and other essential infection control methods that are necessary in stopping the transmission of the disease; and
Whereas, The current Ebola outbreak is occurring in countries with already weakened health care systems, shortages of trained medical professionals, and a deficit of well-equipped clinics, hospitals, and laboratories; and
Whereas, It is estimated that the countries hardest hit by this outbreak will need millions of dollars in basic medical supplies and equipment and thousands of highly skilled medical professionals and other health care workers in order to respond adequately to the current epidemic; and
Whereas, The medical professionals and other health care workers from this State and around the world who volunteer their time and energy, at their own personal risk, to go to West Africa and fight the Ebola outbreak should be praised, thanked, and treated as heroes for their efforts, and should not face stigma and threats upon their return home; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The General Assembly praises and thanks the medical professionals and other health care workers from this State and around the world who volunteer their time and energy, at their own personal risk, to go to West Africa and fight the Ebola virus, and calls upon the public and State officials to treat them as heroes for their efforts and ensure that they do not face stigma or threats upon their return home.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Clinical Laboratory Association, and Doctors Without Borders.
STATEMENT
This resolution praises and thanks the medical professionals and other health care workers from this State and around the world who volunteer their time and energy, at their own personal risk, to go to West Africa and fight the Ebola virus, and calls upon the public and State officials to treat them as heroes for their efforts and ensure that they do not face stigma or threats upon their return home.
