,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #cca  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,april #cj1         
#bjai,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia 7for     
himself1 ,ms4 ,meng1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 
,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,lewis1  
,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mrs4     
,watson ,coleman1 and ,ms4 ,judy ,chu of
 ,california7 submitted the following   
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce     
,,resolution  ,expressing support for   
the designation of ,april #cj as        
,national ,adult ,hepatitis ,b          
,vaccination ,awareness ,day4  ,whereas 
up to #b4b million individuals in the   
,united ,states are chronically infected
 with hepatitis ,b1 and up to two-thirds
 of individuals with chronic hepatitis  
,b are unaware of their infection       
status2 ,whereas hepatitis ,b is a viral
 infection of the liver transmitted via 
infected blood and other body fluids1   
including mother-to-child transmission  
and transmission through injection drug 

use2 ,whereas individuals with chronic  
diseases such as diabetes1 ,,hiv1       
hepatitis ,c1 and chronic liver disease1
 and individuals on hemodialysis are at 
an increased risk for hepatitis ,b      
co-infection2 ,whereas there is no cure 
for hepatitis ,b and individuals with   
chronic hepatitis ,b require lifelong   
medical care2 ,whereas chronic hepatitis
 ,b represents one of the most common   
causes of liver cancer2 ,whereas #a in  
every #d individuals with unmanaged     
chronic hepatitis ,b will develop liver 
cancer1 cirrhosis1 or liver failure1    
with liver cancer only having an #ah    
percent #e-year survival rate in the    
,united ,states2 ,whereas safe and      
highly effective vaccines to protect    
against hepatitis ,b are currently      
available and infants and children have 
been routinely vaccinated against       
hepatitis ,b since the #aiijs in        
accordance with universal childhood     
hepatitis ,b vaccination recommendations
 in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the   

hepatitis ,b vaccine1 which is #ie      
percent effective and was the first     
anticancer vaccine to be developed1 is  
projected to prevent #caj million cases 
of hepatitis ,b worldwide from #aiij to 
#bjbj2 ,whereas only #be percent of     
adults are vaccinated against hepatitis 
,b in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the 
number of reported acute hepatitis ,b   
cases increased by #bj percent          
nationwide in #bjae1 and there have been
 significant regional increases in acute
 hepatitis ,b cases in the ,united      
,states as a result of the opioid       
epidemic1 with ,maine reporting a       
#gbi-percent increase in acute hepatitis
 ,b infections from #bjae to #bjag1     
,kentucky1 ,west ,virginia1 and         
,tennessee reporting a #aad-percent     
increase from #bjji to #bjac1           
southeastern ,massachusetts reporting a 
#gh-percent increase in #bjag1 and      
,north ,carolina reporting a #fb-percent
 increase from #bjab to #bjaf2 ,whereas1
 according to the ,centers for ,disease 

,control and ,prevention1 hepatitis ,b  
is #ej to #ajj times more infectious    
than ,,hiv and #e to #aj times more     
infectious than hepatitis ,c2 and       
,whereas there are significant          
opportunities to prevent new hepatitis  
,b infections and subsequently reduce   
the incidence of liver cancer and       
cirrhosis through efforts to increase   
adult hepatitis ,b vaccination and      
maintain childhood hepatitis ,b         
vaccination1 particularly within the    
setting of the opioid epidemic3 ,now1   
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives-- 7#a7 supports the    
designation of ,national ,adult         
,hepatitis ,b ,vaccination ,awareness   
,day2  7#b7 recognizes the importance of
 providing support for individuals to be
 tested for hepatitis ,b1 vaccinating   
those susceptible to hepatitis ,b1 and  
linking to appropriate care those       
diagnosed with hepatitis ,b2 and  7#c7  
encourages a commitment to increasing   
adult hepatitis ,b vaccination rates1   

maintaining childhood hepatitis ,b      
vaccination rates1 and promoting        
provider and community awareness of     
adult hepatitis ,b vaccination in order 
to reduce the number of new hepatitis ,b
 infections and hepatitis ,b-related    
deaths4