IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 632 

Recognizing July 28, 2023, as ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2023 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. MENG, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, and Mr. 

DAVIS of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing July 28, 2023, as ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’. 

Whereas hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and the incidence of 

liver disease caused by these viruses, have become urgent 

problems of a global proportion; 

Whereas an estimated 1,340,000 people worldwide die each 

year due to hepatitis; 

Whereas an estimated 296,000,000 people worldwide live 

with chronic hepatitis B, and an estimated 884,000 people worldwide die each year mostly due to a liver-related 

illness caused by hepatitis B; 

Whereas an estimated 71,000,000 people worldwide are 

chronically infected with hepatitis C, and an estimated 

399,000 people worldwide die each year due to a liverrelated illness caused by hepatitis C; 


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•HRES 632 IH 

Whereas up to an estimated 5,900,000 people in the United 

States are infected with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C, 

and up to an estimated 2,400,000 who are chronically infected with hepatitis B and up to an estimated 3,500,000 

people who are chronically infected with hepatitis C; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(‘‘CDC’’) estimated that there were 20,700 new acute 

hepatitis B infections and 57,500 new acute hepatitis C 

infections, respectively, in the United States in 2019; 

Whereas the CDC has found significant increases in the 

transmission of new hepatitis cases in the United States 

since 2010, including a 63-percent increase between 2015 

and 2019 in reported cases of acute hepatitis C in the 

United States; 

Whereas chronic viral hepatitis claims thousands of lives each 

year in the United States, with an estimated 14,242 

deaths due to hepatitis C in the United States in 2016; 

Whereas up to an estimated 80 percent of people with acute 

hepatitis C do not have any symptoms; 

Whereas available data suggests that more than 70 percent 

of new hepatitis C infections and 36 percent of new hepatitis B infections are among people who inject drugs; 

Whereas African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, gay and 

bisexual men, and persons who inject drugs intravenously 

all have higher rates of chronic viral hepatitis infections 

in the United States than other groups of people; 

Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders bear the 

greatest burden of hepatitis B-related deaths in the 

United States; 


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Whereas between 2013 and 2017, liver cancer was the second 

most common cause of death among Asian American and 

Pacific Islander males; 

Whereas hepatitis C is 10 times more infectious than human 

immunodeficiency virus (‘‘HIV’’); 

Whereas hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious than 

HIV; 

Whereas an estimated 33 percent of people who live in the 

United States and are infected with HIV are also infected with hepatitis B or C; 

Whereas life expectancies for persons infected with HIV have 

increased with antiretroviral treatment, and liver disease, 

much of which is related to hepatitis B and hepatitis C 

infections, has become the most common cause of death 

among this population that is not related to acquired immune deficiency syndrome; 

Whereas, despite the fact that chronic viral hepatitis is the 

most common blood-borne infection in the United States, 

over half of people living with hepatitis B and hepatitis 

C are unaware of their infection; 

Whereas hepatitis B is preventable through vaccination, and 

hepatitis C is curable through antiretroviral treatment 

but less than a third of people living with hepatitis C receive treatment; 

Whereas both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are preventable 

with proper public health interventions, including programs that offer access to sterile injection equipment for 

people who inject drugs intravenously; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 

released an updated Viral Hepatitis National Strategic 

Plan focused on the elimination of viral hepatitis via a 


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•HRES 632 IH 

syndemic approach by preventing new infections, improving viral hepatitis-related health outcomes, reducing viral 

hepatitis-related disparities and health inequities, improving surveillance and data usage, and coordinating such 

efforts; 

Whereas the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices 

and the CDC now recommend that all adults aged 19 to 

59 be vaccinated, and all adults aged 18 and older be 

screened, for hepatitis B, shifting clinical guidelines from 

a risk-based to a universal standard and recognizing that 

previous hepatitis B interventions focusing only on at-risk 

individuals were insufficient; 

Whereas health department hepatitis services have been significantly reduced, community-based organizations have 

had to reduce operations, severely reducing hepatitis B 

and C testing, hepatitis B vaccination, and community 

outreach, and persons living with hepatitis B or C have 

faced increased challenges in accessing medical care and 

treatment due to delayed appointments and 

deprioritization of routine hepatitis or primary care services; and 

Whereas the goals of ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’ on July 28, 

2023, are to— 

(1) highlight the global nature of chronic viral hepatitis epidemics; 

(2) recognize that hepatitis can be prevented and 

eliminated in part through a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign designed to identify those 

at risk for, and living with, hepatitis; 

(3) inform patients about new treatments that are 

available for hepatitis; and 


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•HRES 632 IH 

(4) help increase the length and quality of life for 

people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis 

C infections: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’; 

3 (2) supports broad access to hepatitis B and 

4 hepatitis C treatments; 

5 (3) supports raising awareness of the risks and 

6 consequences of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B and 

7 hepatitis C infections; 

8 (4) calls for a robust governmental and public 

9 health response to protect the health of the approxi10 mately 5,900,000 people in the United States; and 

11 (5) urges the Centers for Disease Control and 

12 Prevention to partner with State and local health de13 partments to develop strategies to increase the rate 

14 of hepatitis B adult vaccination and hepatitis C 

15 treatment to the levels necessary to eliminate new 

16 infections in the United States. 

Æ 


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