Bill Text: TX HR577 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Recognizing March 16, 2023, as RSV Awareness Day.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-03-17 - Reported enrolled [HR577 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HR577-Introduced.html

---

88R17103 BK-D
By: Howard H.R. No. 577

R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a major
cause of seasonal respiratory infections that, though mild for most
individuals, can disproportionately affect older adults and young
children; and
WHEREAS, This highly contagious virus is so common that most
children have been infected with it by the age of two; it spreads
though the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes around
others and through contact with contaminated objects and surfaces,
and it is most often seen from November through late March in Texas;
and
WHEREAS, For many, the symptoms of RSV mimic those of the
common cold, but severe cases can occur when the infection spreads
to the lower respiratory tract; in infants, RSV is the most common
cause of bronchiolitis, or inflammation of the small airway
passages in the lungs, and pneumonia; the virus also poses an
elevated risk to older adults, people with heart and lung disease,
and immunocompromised people; and
WHEREAS, Every year, RSV leads to approximately 2.1 million
outpatient visits and to as many as 80,000 hospitalizations among
children younger than five years old in the U.S. and as many as
160,000 hospitalizations among adults 65 years and older; more than
70 percent of infants hospitalized for RSV are full-term, otherwise
healthy newborns; less than two percent of infants are eligible for
RSV preventative medication, and there is currently no approved
treatment for the illness, only supportive care; and
WHEREAS, The ability to identify and act upon the signs and
symptoms of severe RSV infection can potentially save lives, and
the observance of RSV Awareness Day serves to further educate the
public about this highly pervasive, yet often overlooked illness;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize March 16, 2023, as RSV Awareness Day
and encourage all Texans to learn more ways they can stop the spread
of RSV.