Bill Text: TX HR2923 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing May 2015 as Hepatitis C Awareness Month in Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-22 - Reported enrolled [HR2923 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR2923-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 2923 |
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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 | ||