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 Geor-
gia, 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 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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•HRES 632 IH 
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 
hepatitis C is curable through antiretroviral treatment 
but less than a third of people living with hepatitis C re-
ceive treatment; 
Whereas both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are preventable 
with proper public health interventions, including pro-
grams 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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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 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 sig-
nificantly 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 serv-
ices; and 
Whereas the goals of ‘‘World Hepatitis Day’’ on July 28, 
2023, 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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•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 
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; 
(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; and 
(5) urges the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention to partner with State and local health de-
partments to develop strategies to increase the rate 
of hepatitis B adult vaccination and hepatitis C 
treatment to the levels necessary to eliminate new 
infections in the United States. 
Æ 
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