,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #eje  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,july #ah1 #bjai,ms4
 ,meng 7for herself and ,mr4 ,johnson of
 ,georgia7 submitted the following      
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce     
,,resolution  ,recognizing ,july #bh1   
#bjai1 as ,world ,hepatitis ,day4       
,whereas hepatitis ,b and hepatitis ,c1 
and the incidence of liver disease      
caused by these viruses1 have become    
urgent problems of global proportion2   
,whereas an estimated #a1cdj1jjj people 
worldwide die each year due to          
hepatitis2 ,whereas an estimated        
#beg1jjj1jjj people worldwide live with 
chronic hepatitis ,b1 and an estimated  
#hhd1jjj people worldwide die each year 
mostly due to a liver-related illness   
caused by hepatitis ,b2 ,whereas an     
estimated #ga1jjj1jjj people worldwide  
are chronically infected with hepatitis 
,c1 and an estimated #cii1jjj people    
worldwide die each year due to a        

liver-related illness caused by         
hepatitis ,c2 ,whereas in the ,united   
,states1 up to an estimated #e1gjj1jjj  
people are infected with either         
hepatitis ,b or hepatitis ,c1 including 
up to an estimated #b1bjj1jjj           
chronically infected with hepatitis ,b  
and up to an estimated #c1ejj1jjj       
chronically infected with hepatitis ,c2 
,whereas the ,centers for ,disease      
,control and ,prevention 7,,cdc7        
estimated that there were #bj1ijj new   
acute hepatitis ,b infections and       
#da1bjj new acute hepatitis ,c          
infections in the ,united ,states in    
#bjaf2 ,whereas the ,,cdc has found     
significant increases in the            
transmission of new hepatitis cases in  
the ,united ,states since #bjaj1        
including a #c4e-;fold increase between 
#bjaj and #bjaf in reported cases of    
acute hepatitis ,c in the ,united       
,states2 ,whereas chronic viral         
hepatitis claims thousands of lives each
 year in the ,united ,states1 with an   

estimated #ah1aec deaths due to         
hepatitis ,c in the ,united ,states in  
#bjaf2 ,whereas between #bjae and #bjbj1
 ,united ,states taxpayers will spend an
 estimated #acf1jjj1jjj1jjj on hepatitis
 ,c drugs and approximately #de percent 
of which will come from the ,government2
 ,whereas up to an estimated #hj percent
 of people with acute hepatitis ,c do   
not have any symptoms2 ,whereas ,african
 ,americans1 ,asian ,americans1 ,pacific
 ,islanders1 ,latinos1 ,native          
,americans1 ,alaska ,natives1 gay and   
bisexual men1 and persons who inject    
drugs intravenously all have higher     
rates of chronic viral hepatitis        
infections in the ,united ,states than  
other groups of people2 ,whereas ,asian 
,americans and ,pacific ,islanders bear 
the greatest burden of hepatitis        
,b-related deaths in the ,united        
,states2 ,whereas hepatitis ,c is #aj   
times more infectious than human        
immunodeficiency virus 7,,hiv72 ,whereas
 hepatitis ,b is #ej to #ajj times more 

infectious than ,,hiv2 ,whereas an      
estimated #cc percent of people who live
 in the ,united ,states and are infected
 with ,,hiv are also infected with      
hepatitis ,b or ,c2 ,whereas life       
expectancies for persons infected with  
,,hiv have increased with antiretroviral
 treatment1 and liver disease1 much of  
which is related to hepatitis ,b and    
hepatitis ,c infections1 has become the 
most common cause of death among this   
population that is not related to       
acquired immune deficiency syndrome2    
,whereas despite the fact that chronic  
viral hepatitis is the most common      
blood-borne infection in the ,united    
,states1 over half of people living with
 hepatitis ,b and hepatitis ,c are      
unaware of their infection2 ,whereas    
hepatitis ,b is preventable through     
vaccination1 and both hepatitis ,b and  
hepatitis ,c are preventable with proper
 public health interventions1 including 
programs that offer access to sterile   
injection equipment for people who      

inject drugs intravenously2 and ,whereas
 the goals of ,world ,hepatitis ,day on 
,july #bh1 #bjai1 are to-- 7#a7         
highlight the global nature of chronic  
viral hepatitis epidemics2  7#b7        
recognize that hepatitis can be         
prevented and eliminated in part through
 a comprehensive public education and   
awareness campaign designed to identify 
those at risk for1 and living with1     
hepatitis2  7#c7 inform patients about  
new treatments that are available for   
hepatitis2 and  7#d7 help increase the  
length and quality of life for people   
diagnosed with chronic hepatitis ,b and 
hepatitis ,c infections3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives-- 7#a7 supports broad  
access to hepatitis ,b and hepatitis ,c 
treatments2  7#b7 supports raising      
awareness of the risks and consequences 
of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis ,b and 
hepatitis ,c infections2  7#c7 calls for
 a robust governmental and public health
 response to protect the health of the  

approximately #e1gjj1jjj people in the  
,united ,states who are infected with   
hepatitis ,b or ,c2 and  7#d7 urges the 
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention to partner with ,state and  
local health departments to develop     
strategies to increase the rate of      
hepatitis ,b adult vaccination and      
hepatitis ,c treatment to the levels    
necessary to eliminate new infections in
 the ,united ,states4