[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 338 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 338
Expressing support for the designation of April 30, 2023, as ``National
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2023
Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Chu, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Bacon,
Ms. Crockett, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Velazquez, Mr.
Cohen, Mr. Grijalva, and Ms. Meng) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of April 30, 2023, as ``National
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day''.
Whereas up to 2.4 million individuals in the United States are chronically
infected with hepatitis B, and up to two-thirds of individuals with
chronic hepatitis B are unaware of their infection status;
Whereas hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver transmitted via infected
blood and other body fluids, including through mother-to-child
transmission and injection drug use;
Whereas hepatitis B is associated with significant disparities among communities
of color (including Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and African
immigrants), sexual and gender minority communities, and those affected
by the opioid crisis;
Whereas individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, HIV, hepatitis C,
and chronic liver disease, and individuals on hemodialysis are at an
increased risk for hepatitis B co-infection;
Whereas there is no cure for hepatitis B and individuals with chronic hepatitis
B require lifelong medical care;
Whereas chronic hepatitis B represents one of the most common causes of liver
cancer;
Whereas 1 in every 4 individuals with unmanaged chronic hepatitis B will develop
liver cancer, cirrhosis, or liver failure, with liver cancer having a 5-
year-survival rate of only 18 percent in the United States;
Whereas safe and highly effective vaccines to protect against hepatitis B are
available;
Whereas in accordance with universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination
recommendations in the United States, infants and children have been
routinely vaccinated against hepatitis B since the 1990s;
Whereas all adults aged 19 to 59, and adults 60 and older with hepatitis B risk
factors, are recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis B;
Whereas the hepatitis B vaccine, which is 95 percent effective and was the first
anticancer vaccine to be developed, is projected to have prevented 310
million cases of hepatitis B worldwide from 1990 to 2020;
Whereas only 30 percent of adults in the United States are vaccinated against
hepatitis B;
Whereas the number of reported acute hepatitis B cases increased by 11 percent
nationwide between 2014 and 2018;
Whereas, as a result of the drug use epidemic, there have been significant
regional increases in acute hepatitis B cases in the United States,
including--
(1) a 489 percent increase in acute hepatitis B infections from 2015 to
2016 in Maine;
(2) a reported 114 percent increase from 2009 to 2013 in Kentucky, West
Virginia, and Tennessee;
(3) a reported 78 percent increase in 2017 in southeastern
Massachusetts; and
(4) a reported 56 percent increase from 2014 to 2016 in North Carolina;
Whereas 36 percent of new hepatitis B cases are among people who inject drugs;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis
B is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV and 5 to 10 times more
infectious than hepatitis C; and
Whereas there are significant opportunities, particularly within the setting of
the drug use epidemic, to prevent new hepatitis B infections and thereby
reduce the incidence of liver cancer and cirrhosis through efforts to--
(1) increase adult hepatitis B vaccination; and
(2) maintain childhood hepatitis B vaccination: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the designation of ``National Adult Hepatitis
B Vaccination Awareness Day'';
(2) recognizes the importance of providing support and
encouragement--
(A) for all adults aged 18 and older to be tested
for hepatitis B at least once in their lifetime in
accordance with recommendations;
(B) for individuals susceptible to infection to be
vaccinated against hepatitis B; and
(C) for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis B to
be linked to appropriate care; and
(3) in order to reduce the number of new hepatitis B
infections and hepatitis B-related deaths, encourages a
commitment to--
(A) increasing adult hepatitis B vaccination rates;
(B) maintaining childhood hepatitis B vaccination
rates; and
(C) promoting provider and community awareness of
adult hepatitis B vaccination.
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