LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to declare
May 2015 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 left 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, Hepatitis C currently infects between three and five million
Americans, including an estimated 175,000 New Yorkers, and there are
about 17,000 new cases and over 16,000 Hepatitis C related deaths each
year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The total healthcare related costs of Hepatitis C in the
United States as of 2011 is approximately $6.5 billion and is expected
to rise to over $9 billion in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is largely non reported and the public is unin-
formed 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, 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 gener-
al public; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis C has been characterized by the World Health Organ-
ization as a disease of primary concern to humanity; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to declare May 2015 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 tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.