,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #aei ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #aa1 #bjai,mr4 ,peters 7for himself and ,ms4 ,stabenow7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,designating ,april #bd1 #bjai1 as ,meningitis ,b ,awareness ,day4 ,whereas it is the custom of the ,senate to increase awareness of serious illnesses that affect the lives of the people of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas meningococcal disease1 more commonly referred to as bacterial meningitis1 is any infection caused by the bacterium ,neisseria meningitidis2 ,whereas meningococcal disease is uncommon1 and the flu-like symptoms of the disease make diagnosis difficult2 ,whereas meningococcal disease can cause serious illnesses1 such as-- 7#a7 an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal column known as meningitis2 and 7#b7 blood infections known as sepsis2 ,whereas the disease strikes quickly and may lead to severe or permanent disabilities1 such as hearing loss1 brain damage1 seizures1 and limb amputation1 and may even lead to death within #bd to #dh hours2 ,whereas1 although #a in #aj people are carriers of ,neisseria meningitidis bacteria with no signs or symptoms of disease1 ,neisseria meningitidis bacteria may sometimes cause illnesses2 ,whereas there are different strains of meningococcal disease1 including strains caused by ,neisseria meningitidis serogroups ,a1 ,c1 ,w1 ,y1 and ,b2 ,whereas vaccines exist to help provide protection against all strains of meningococcal disease caused by the serogroups common in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas meningococcal disease is spread from person to person via the exchange of ,neisseria meningitidis bacteria through respiratory and throat secretions during close or lengthy contact1 including contact such as-- 7#a7 sharing beverages or eating utensils2 7#b7 kissing2 and 7#c7 spending time in close contact with someone who is sick or who carries the bacteria2 ,whereas community settings in which large groups of people gather1 such as college campuses1 may increase the risk of transmission of meningococcal disease2 ,whereas1 because of the way meningococcal disease is spread through close personal contact1 the social behavior of young adults ages #af to #bc increases the risk of those adults contracting the disease2 ,whereas students in dormitory settings and at crowded events are particularly vulnerable to meningococcal disease2 ,whereas college students ages #ah to #bd were found to be #c4e times more likely to contract meningitis ,b1 the strain of meningococcal disease caused by serogroup ,b1 compared to their peers not in school2 ,whereas the single best way to help prevent all common strains of meningococcal disease is to be vaccinated with-- 7#a7 a ,men,a,c,w,y vaccine to protect against the strains of meningococcal disease caused by serogroups ,a1 ,c1 ,w1 and ,y2 and 7#b7 a separate ,men,b vaccine to protect against the strain of meningococcal disease caused by serogroup ,b2 ,whereas the incidence of meningococcal disease in the ,united ,states has steadily declined from #a4bj cases per #ajj1jjj individuals in #aiie to a historic low of #j4aa cases per #ajj1jjj individuals in #bjag2 ,whereas1 although vaccines for serogroups ,a1 ,c1 ,w1 and ,y have been available for many years1 a vaccine for serogroup ,b was not available until #bjad2 ,whereas1 despite the existence of a vaccine for serogroup ,b since #bjad1 meningitis ,b has been responsible for all ,united ,states college campus outbreaks since #bjaa1 with some cases resulting in death2 ,whereas1 because the strain of meningococcal disease caused by serogroup ,b requires a new1 separate vaccination1 students heading to college may mistakenly think that1 if they received the ,men,a,c,w,y vaccine1 they are protected against all strains of the disease1 and may not realize that they are not protected against the strain caused by serogroup ,b2 ,whereas1 according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 ,neisseria meningitidis serogroup ,b accounts for approximately half of all cases of meningococcal disease among individuals ages #ae to #bb in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas vaccination for serogroups ,a1 ,c1 ,w1 and ,y is routinely recommended by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention2 ,whereas the ,advisory ,committee on ,immunization ,practices of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention recommends that decisions to vaccinate adolescents and young adults ages #af to #bc against the strain of meningococcal disease caused by serogroup ,b should be made at the individual level with health care providers2 ,whereas a recent study found that many doctors are not talking to patients about the ,men,b vaccine1 including #di percent of pediatricians and #fi percent of family physicians who do not regularly discuss the ,men,b vaccine during routine visits with individuals ages #af to #ah2 ,whereas meningitis vaccines are covered by public and private health insurance plans1 and individuals should be encouraged to contact health insurance plans to determine coverage of ,men,a,c,w,y and ,men,b vaccines2 ,whereas the ,federal ,vaccines for ,children program covers both ,men,a,c,w,y and ,men,b vaccines for-- 7#a7 children and adults who have no health insurance or whose health insurance does not cover those vaccines2 and 7#b7 children less than #ai years of age who are ,american ,indian1 ,alaska ,native1 or eligible for ,medicaid or other ,state health plan coverage2 ,whereas1 in #bjab1 before meningitis ,b vaccines were available in the ,united ,states1 ,kimberly ,coffey1 a #ag-year-old high school senior on ,long ,island1 ,new ,york1 died from meningitis ,b2 ,whereas ,patti ,wukovits1 ,r4,n41 the mother of ,kimberly ,coffey1 created the ,kimberly ,coffey ,foundation1 a vital organization with the mission of-- 7#a7 providing education to the public and health care professionals about meningococcal disease2 and 7#b7 advocating for two types of vaccination for meningococcal disease2 ,whereas the goal of the ,kimberly ,coffey ,foundation is to ensure that no other family will endure the loss of a child or have a loved one experience the devastating effects of meningococcal disease2 ,whereas ,june #ae1 #bjai1 marks the seventh anniversary of the death of ,kimberly ,coffey2 ,whereas #ai-year-old ,emily ,nicole ,stillman1 while a sophomore at ,kalamazoo ,college in ,kalamazoo1 ,michigan1 tragically contracted bacterial meningitis before meningitis ,b vaccines were available in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 on ,february #b1 #bjac1 after just #cf hours in the hospital1 ,emily ,nicole ,stillman passed away2 ,whereas1 in #bjad1 ,alicia ,stillman1 the mother of ,emily ,nicole ,stillman1 created the ,emily ,stillman ,foundation-- 7#a7 to preserve the memory of ,emily ,nicole ,stillman2 7#b7 to advocate for organ and tissue donation2 and 7#c7 to advocate for the increased availability of vaccines for all vaccine-preventable diseases1 including the increased availability of meningitis vaccines for children2 ,whereas ,february #bjai marked the sixth anniversary of the death of ,emily ,stillman2 ,whereas the ,meningitis ,b ,action ,project1 a joint initiative of the ,kimberly ,coffey ,foundation and the ,emily ,stillman ,foundation1 is committed to raising awareness about meningococcal disease throughout the ,united ,states2 ,whereas students1 parents1 educators1 and health care providers should learn about all strains of meningococcal disease and how to protect against all strains of the disease2 and ,whereas ,april #bd1 #bjai1 should be designated as ,meningitis ,b ,awareness ,day to coincide with the observance of ,world ,meningitis ,day3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,april #bd1 #bjai1 as ,meningitis ,b ,awareness ,day2 and 7#b7 encourages-- 7,a7 all individuals to contact health insurance plans to determine coverage of ,men,a,c,w,y and ,men,b vaccines2 and 7,b7 students1 parents1 educators1 and health care providers to learn about all strains of meningococcal disease and how to protect against all strains of the disease4