IV 

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. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, 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 twothirds 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; 


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•HRES 338 IH 

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; 


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•HRES 338 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 338 IH 

1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Adult 

2 Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day’’; 

3 (2) recognizes the importance of providing sup4 port and encouragement— 

5 (A) for all adults aged 18 and older to be 

6 tested for hepatitis B at least once in their life7 time in accordance with recommendations; 

8 (B) for individuals susceptible to infection 

9 to be vaccinated against hepatitis B; and 

10 (C) for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis 

11 B to be linked to appropriate care; and 

12 (3) in order to reduce the number of new hepa13 titis B infections and hepatitis B-related deaths, en14 courages a commitment to— 

15 (A) increasing adult hepatitis B vaccina16 tion rates; 

17 (B) maintaining childhood hepatitis B vac18 cination rates; and 

19 (C) promoting provider and community 

20 awareness of adult hepatitis B vaccination. 

Æ 


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