THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

16

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP PUBLIC HEALTH strategies to address the hepatitis c problem.

 

WHEREAS, chronic hepatitis C has been classified as a silent killer and is the most common chronic blood borne viral infection in the United States; and

WHEREAS, nearly two in every one hundred Americans are infected with hepatitis C; and

WHEREAS, hepatitis C can go undiagnosed for as long as twenty years since infected persons are frequently asymptomatic; and

WHEREAS, hepatitis C is now the leading cause of liver disease and it is estimated that the death rate will increase over the next ten years to 30,000 deaths per year; and

WHEREAS, approximately thirty-three per cent of all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons are co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV); and

WHEREAS, the hepatitis C rate among veterans is roughly four times the rate of the general population; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that there may be over 20,000 people who have been infected with hepatitis C living in Hawaii and many of them are not aware of their infection because they are not chronically ill; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that between seventeen per cent and thirty-five per cent of inmates residing in Hawaii prisons are infected with hepatitis C, which presents a dangerous situation for prisoners, corrections staff, and the public as these individuals are released on parole; and

WHEREAS, persons infected with hepatitis C serve as a source of transmission to others and are at risk of developing chronic liver disease, liver cancer, and other HCV-related diseases, such as Type II diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic conditions that can lead to liver failure; and

WHEREAS, because alcohol consumption is a contributing factor in the progression of chronic liver disease among persons with HCV, it is important to identify infected individuals as early as possible so that they can be educated about the virus, liver disease, and avoiding alcohol consumption; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "National Hepatitis C Prevention Strategy 2001" recommends and advocates increasing the capacity of existing HIV/sexually transmitted disease/drug abuse services to include prevention, testing, and identification activities for hepatitis C; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Statement for the Management of Hepatitis C (2002) recommends implementing prevention education to reduce transmission of the virus and promoting screening tests and treatment for groups at high risk of HCV infection; and

WHEREAS, hepatitis C community organizations have limited access to funding from federal, state, public, or private agencies for planning, health education, screening, and patient care services for HCV positive individuals; and

WHEREAS, recent studies indicate that the prevalence of hepatitis C in first responders, such as firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and health care personnel is higher than the general population; and

WHEREAS, hepatitis C is most common among forty to fifty-nine year olds who were exposed to the virus twenty to thirty years ago, who will not be reached by the CDC National Prevention Strategy recommendations, and who are at greatest risk for progression to liver failure and liver cancer; and

WHEREAS, while there is not a vaccine for hepatitis C, there are new treatments available that can eliminate the virus or slow disease progression; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health address the issue of hepatitis C-related issues by:

(1) Developing a plan to address hepatitis C and work collaboratively with community-based organizations and health providers;

(2) Conducting surveillance to monitor and evaluate the epidemiology of infection rates for hepatitis C;

(3) Considering integrating prevention and education activities into state and local public health programs for individuals at greatest risk and assessing the costs related to these activities;

(4) Considering counseling and screening persons at greatest risk for HCV infection and assessing the costs related to these activities;

(5) Considering the availability of hepatitis C-related treatment for those cases where treatment is indicated and assessing the costs related to making these services available to those who otherwise would not have access to treatment services; and

(6) Promoting professional education of health care professionals based on current information concerning diagnosis, medical management, and prevention recently described by the CDC and the NIH; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health submit a report on the above activities to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health shall conduct a briefing on its report, findings, and recommendations for the members of the 2004 Legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

 

 

Report Title:

Hepatitis C; Public Health Strategies