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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The month of May is nationally recognized as
3Hepatitis Awareness Month thanks to the Know More Hepatitis
4campaign initiative developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease
5Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis; the
6campaign was designed to increase awareness about the hidden
7epidemic that affects the lives of so many; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Anyone can contract Hepatitis C, and baby boomers
9are five times more susceptible to the virus; Hepatitis is
10particularly dangerous because the symptoms do not manifest
11upon contraction or, in some cases, in more advanced stages;
12this unfortunately leads to individuals being unaware of their
13infection; and
 
14    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public
15Health, there were 80,068 cases of chronic or resolved
16Hepatitis C virus infections reported from 2005 to 2015, with
17171 other cases reported to be acute forms of the infection; of
18those infected in Illinois, over half were between the ages of
1946 and 60; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Various private and public organizations, such as
21the American Liver Foundation, the Illinois State Medical
22Society, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Illinois

 

 

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1Department of Public Health, and the CDC, have championed
2efforts to raise awareness and to find solutions to the
3problems resulting from the Hepatitis C virus in Illinois and
4across the country; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we declare May 19, 2020 as "Hepatitis C Screening Day" in the
8State of Illinois; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
10delivered to the Governor, all Illinois constitutional
11officers, and all members of the Illinois General Assembly in
12order to bring further awareness of the prevalence of the
13Hepatitis C virus in our State and around the country.