K 438: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2025, as Hepatitis C Awareness Month in the State of New York

 Assembly Resolution No. 438 BY: M. of A. Lavine MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2025, 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 rose to $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 2025 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.