Bill Text: NY K00595 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Assembly Resolution 595

Introduced

Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2023, as Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 26-12)

Status: (Passed) 2023-06-01 - adopted [K00595 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K00595-Introduced.html


Assembly Resolution No. 595

BY: M. of A. Rosenthal L

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        June 2023, as Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month in the
        State of New York

  WHEREAS, The State of New York  takes  great  pride  in  recognizing
serious diseases by proclaiming official months to increase awareness of
such concerns, which affect thousands of New Yorkers; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to  proclaim  June  2023,  as   Cytomegalovirus
Awareness Month in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  In  2011,  Congress  passed  a  resolution  naming June as
National CMV Awareness Month; CDC takes  this  opportunity  to  increase
awareness   of   congenital   cytomegalovirus   (CMV)  among  healthcare
providers, pregnant women, and parents; and

  WHEREAS, CMV is the most common viral infection transmitted  from  a
pregnant woman to her unborn child, and the leading non-genetic cause of
deafness  in  children; the majority of people who are infected with CMV
have no signs or symptoms, and while there are no harmful side  effects,
it can be devastating to a fetus; and

  WHEREAS,  One  in  200  children  are  born  with congenital CMV and
roughly 1 in 5 of those babies will have long-term health problems  such
as   hearing   loss,  microcephaly,  intellectual  deficits  and  vision
abnormalities; and

  WHEREAS, Each year, 400 children die from congenital  CMV,  in  part
because the majority of infants are asymptomatic at birth; and

  WHEREAS,  In adults, the CDC estimates over half of adults have been
infected with CMV by age 40; and

  WHEREAS, CMV is also transmitted by contact with saliva  and  urine,
often  from  diaper-wearing children to adults; pregnant women often get
CMV from their toddlers, especially toddlers in day care, as nearly  one
in three children are infected by age five; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  difficult for mothers to protect themselves from a
virus carried by the children they care  for,  especially  if  they  are
unaware  of  the  virus itself; less than one in five pregnant women are
aware of cytomegalovirus; and

  WHEREAS, Few women are warned about this infection, and according to
a federal survey, less  than  half  of  obstetrician-gynecologists  tell
pregnant patients how to avoid CMV; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  imperative that women are educated about the virus
itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing  food  with
toddlers,  and  washing  one's hands after changing infants and toddlers
diapers; and

  WHEREAS, A test for CMV can be done immediately upon  receiving  the
results  from  the  newborn  infant  hearing  screening, which typically
occurs at a facility before a newborn is discharged; and

  WHEREAS,  Significantly,  infants who receive a timely diagnosis can
be given hearing aids or access to early-intervention programs  to  have
the  best  chance  of  learning  to  talk; recent evidence suggests that
routine screening of newborns could allow infected  infants  to  receive
consistent  monitoring and treatment if necessary, ultimately increasing
his or her chance of optimized developmental care; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize   Governor   Kathy   Hochul   to   proclaim  June  2023,  as
Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month in the State of  New  York;  and  be  it
further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of  New
York.