Assembly Resolution No. 487

BY: M. of A. Zebrowski

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 2023, as Hepatitis C Awareness Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is a known public health threat and can lead to
more serious health complications if gone untreated; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C has been a disease that has little or no public
awareness due to its nature as being largely asymptomatic; as many as
half of those infected with Hepatitis C are unaware of their status; and

WHEREAS, Currently, Hepatitis C infects between three and five
million Americans, including an estimated 280,000 New Yorkers, and there
are about 58,000 new cases and over 14,000 Hepatitis C related deaths
each year in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The total health care related costs of Hepatitis C in the
United States as of 2011 was approximately $6.5 billion and it is
expected to rise to over $9 billion in 2024; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is largely not reported, and the public is
uninformed about the virus; and

WHEREAS, Persons born between 1945 and 1965 are disproportionately
affected by the disease with an estimated 1 out of 33 baby boomers
infected with Hepatitis C; and

WHEREAS, Persons born between 1981 and 1996 represent a rapidly
increasing share of new cases due to the opioid crisis; and

WHEREAS, New York State has become a leader in promoting testing and
awareness of the disease especially among at risk populations; and

WHEREAS, New York State became the first State in the Nation to pass
a Hepatitis C testing law that mandates that all persons born between
1945 and 1965 are offered a one-time test; and

WHEREAS, In the absence of a vaccine for Hepatitis C, emphasis must
be placed on other means of disease prevention, including education of
health care workers, emergency services workers, veterans and the
general public; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C has been characterized by the World Health
Organization as a disease of primary concern to humanity; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2023 as Hepatitis C
Awareness Month in the State of New York, and to urge the citizens of
this great Empire State to learn about the causes, symptoms, diagnoses
and treatments for Hepatitis C; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.