IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 693 
Expressing support for the designation of September 9 as ‘‘National African 
Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness Day’’ or 
‘‘NAIRHHA Day’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia (for himself and Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of September 9 as 
‘‘National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS 
and Hepatitis Awareness Day’’ or ‘‘NAIRHHA Day’’. 
Whereas, between 1980 and 2019, the number of African im-
migrants 
in 
the 
United 
States 
increased 
nearly 
sixteenfold, a growth that roughly equates to a 1,500 
percent increase, far surpassing earlier estimates of 500 
percent; 
Whereas, from 2000 to 2019 alone, the African immigrant 
population grew by approximately 246 percent, rising 
from around 600,000 to 2,000,000, making African im-
migrants the fastest-growing group among Black immi-
grants in the United States, and their numbers are ex-
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•HRES 693 IH 
pected to continue rising significantly in the coming dec-
ades; 
Whereas HIV infection rates are 6 times higher in the Afri-
can immigrant population than in the general United 
States population and are nearly twice those of United 
States-born Black individuals; 
Whereas, despite PrEP’s proven effectiveness in preventing 
HIV transmission, fewer than 30 percent of African im-
migrants are aware of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), 
and less than 5 percent have reported prior use, reflect-
ing a critical gap in prevention outreach, education, and 
culturally responsive services; 
Whereas African immigrants face the highest average chronic 
hepatitis B rates in the country, with approximately 10 
percent of these communities living with hepatitis B; 
Whereas HIV and hepatitis B and C are preventable and 
treatable conditions, with appropriate attention and 
focus, health outcomes among African immigrant commu-
nities can be improved and lives can be saved; 
Whereas the CDC recommends that individuals born in Afri-
ca, or individuals born in the United States who have at 
least 1 parent born in Africa, who were not vaccinated 
at birth, should be prioritized for hepatitis B testing; 
Whereas African immigrant communities face significant 
challenges to HIV and viral hepatitis testing, care, and 
treatment; 
Whereas, though they have high rates of infection, they have 
low rates of diagnosis and care; 
Whereas challenges include stigma, fear, lack of awareness 
and knowledge, language barriers, traditional values and 
social norms, and limited access to health care services; 
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•HRES 693 IH 
Whereas there also exists a need for providers and services 
to be culturally and linguistically appropriate to better 
meet the needs of African immigrants, in keeping with 
the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically 
Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care, 
which describe a framework to deliver services that are 
culturally and linguistically appropriate and respectful, 
and that respond to patients’ cultural health beliefs, pref-
erences, and communication needs; 
Whereas immigration status is also associated with fear of 
health facilities, low acculturation and unfamiliarity navi-
gating complex health care systems, social and economic 
marginalization, fear of deportation, and a lower rate of 
health insurance, all posing considerable barriers to the 
health of African immigrants and refugees living in the 
United States; 
Whereas NAIRHHA Day is a day aimed toward bringing 
local and national attention to the health issues of HIV/ 
AIDS and viral hepatitis in African immigrant and ref-
ugee populations in the United States, in a way that is 
culturally and linguistically appropriate; 
Whereas, by addressing some of the unique issues that Afri-
can immigrants in the United States face through aware-
ness, education, and resources, NAIRHHA Day will help 
empower communities to take charge of their own health; 
Whereas the objectives of NAIRHHA Day include— 
(1) raising awareness and eliminating stigma; 
(2) education about protection against HIV, viral 
hepatitis and other related diseases, placing control back 
within the community by encouraging screenings and 
treatment, as well as hepatitis B vaccination; and 
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•HRES 693 IH 
(3) advocating for policies and practices that pro-
mote healthy African immigrant communities, families, 
and individuals; 
Whereas no existing HIV/AIDS awareness day addresses the 
distinct factors influencing the high rates of HIV and 
viral hepatitis in African immigrants and refugees, 
groups which are often overlooked or misclassified as 
‘‘Black’’ or ‘‘African American’’ in HIV surveillance pro-
grams, due to not collecting or reporting on information 
about country of origin; 
Whereas, with the rapid population rise of African immi-
grants in the United States, it is critical to raise aware-
ness among health care and social service providers and 
among African immigrant and refugee communities about 
the risk of viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, their potential 
consequences, and opportunities for prevention, diagnosis, 
and treatment; 
Whereas, as African immigrants become long-term United 
States residents, it will be increasingly important to pro-
vide screening, prevention, and treatment of chronic and 
infectious diseases with a culturally sensitive approach; 
Whereas building capacity within communities to promote 
knowledge, treatment and prevention of HIV and viral 
hepatitis contributes greatly to the sustainability of the 
NAIRHHA Day initiative, for as communities increase 
their capacity to respond to the ‘‘silent epidemics’’ of 
HIV and viral hepatitis, they will develop their own re-
sources to continue this work; 
Whereas, by encouraging more people to get tested and seek 
treatment, NAIRHHA Day is aiding those who suffer 
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now and preventing others from contracting these trans-
missible diseases; and 
Whereas, by trying to lessen, if not remove, the stigma be-
hind HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis, NAIRHHA Day is 
facilitating community building and communication: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Afri-
can Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepa-
titis Awareness Day’’; 
(2) recognizes the importance of dedicating 
more attention and resources to addressing HIV/ 
AIDS and viral hepatitis in African immigrant and 
refugee communities across the United States; and 
(3) encourages a commitment to reducing new 
viral hepatitis and HIV infections and hepatitis B 
and C- and HIV-related deaths through more robust 
screening, vaccination, and linkage to treatment and 
care in African immigrant and refugee communities. 
Æ 
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