IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 563 
Recognizing July 28, 2021, as ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2021 
Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, and Ms. CHU) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing July 28, 2021, 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 292,000,000 people worldwide live 
with chronic hepatitis B, and an estimated 884,000 peo-
ple 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 liver- 
related illness caused by hepatitis C; 
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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 in-
fected 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 hepa-
titis B infections are among people who inject drugs; 
Whereas African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Island-
ers, 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 in-
fected 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 im-
mune 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 
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 CDC has labelled viral hepatitis a ‘‘Winnable 
Battle,’’ a public health priority, where the CDC and its 
partners can make significant progress ending epidemics 
and eliminating diseases to help advance the CDC Stra-
tegic Framework in a relatively short time frame; 
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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 
syndemic approach by preventing new infections, improv-
ing viral hepatitis-related health outcomes, reducing viral 
hepatitis-related disparities and health inequities, improv-
ing surveillance and data usage, and coordinating such 
efforts; 
Whereas the COVID-19 global pandemic has exacerbated 
public health challenges, including viral hepatitis preven-
tion, care, and treatment; 
Whereas, as a result of COVID-19, hepatitis services have 
been significantly reduced, and community-based organi-
zations have had to reduce operations, severely reducing 
hepatitis B and C testing, hepatitis B vaccination, and 
community outreach; 
Whereas, as a result of COVID-19, persons living with hepa-
titis B or C have faced increased challenges in accessing 
medical care and treatment due to delayed appointments 
and de-prioritization of routine hepatitis or primary care 
services; and 
Whereas the goals of ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’ on July 28, 
2021, are to— 
(1) highlight the global nature of chronic viral hepa-
titis epidemics; 
(2) recognize that hepatitis can be prevented and 
eliminated in part through a comprehensive public edu-
cation 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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(4) help increase the length and quality of life for 
people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis 
C infections: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’; 
(2) supports broad access to hepatitis B and 
hepatitis C treatments; 
(3) supports raising awareness of the risks and 
consequences of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B and 
hepatitis C infections; and 
(4) calls for a robust governmental and public 
health response to protect the health of the approxi-
mately 5,900,000 people in the United States. 
Æ 
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