SF 1679

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to health; designating the month of May 2005
as "Hepatitis C Awareness and Education Month" in the
state of Minnesota.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin HEPATITIS C AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.
new text end

new text begin The legislature finds that:
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new text begin (1) hepatitis C is a "silent epidemic" and is the most
common chronic bloodborne viral infection in the United States;
new text end

new text begin (2) hepatitis C has been characterized by the World Health
Organization as a disease of primary concern to humanity;
new text end

new text begin (3) hepatitis C currently infects approximately 3.9 million
persons in the United States and each year there are some 25,000
new infections nationwide;
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new text begin (4) hepatitis C is now one of the leading causes of liver
disease, placing infected individuals at elevated risk for
chronic liver disease, liver cancer, liver transplantation, and
other hepatitis C virus related illnesses;
new text end

new text begin (5) the National Institute of Health estimates that
approximately 10,000 to 12,000 persons die annually from the
consequences of hepatitis C and this number continues to grow
each year;
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new text begin (6) the principal components of the national hepatitis C
prevention strategy are:
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new text begin (i) education of health care and public health
professionals to improve the identification of persons at risk
of hepatitis C infection and ensuring appropriate counseling,
diagnosis, medical management, and treatment;
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new text begin (ii) education of the public and persons at risk for
infection about risk factors for hepatitis C transmission and
the need for testing and medical evaluation;
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new text begin (iii) clinical and public health activities to identify,
counsel, and test persons at risk for hepatitis C infection and
medical evaluation and referral for those found to be infected;
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new text begin (iv) outreach and community-based programs to prevent
practices that put people at risk for hepatitis C infection and
to identify persons who need to be tested;
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new text begin (v) surveillance to monitor acute and chronic disease
trends and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and medical
care activities; and
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new text begin (vi) research to better guide prevention efforts;
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new text begin (7) hepatitis C infection is three to four times more
prevalent in the United States than HIV/AIDS and approximately
one-fourth of all HIV infected persons are coinfected with
hepatitis C;
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new text begin (8) 60 to 70 percent of hepatitis C virus-infected persons
are chronically infected and few of those infected with
hepatitis C are aware that they are infected, since symptoms
often do not develop until ten to 20 years after the infection
is contracted;
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new text begin (9) infected individuals who are unaware that they are
infected are unlikely to take precautions to prevent the spread
or exacerbation of their infection;
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new text begin (10) in Minnesota, there are 71,637 estimated unidentified
hepatitis C infected persons statewide based on 2001 passive
surveillance and national prevalence statistics;
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new text begin (11) the Minnesota legislature is concerned with preserving
and protecting the health of the citizens of Minnesota; and
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new text begin (12) educating the public and health care community
throughout the state about hepatitis C will ensure an optimal
approach to controlling this potentially lethal disease.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin HEPATITIS C AWARENESS AND EDUCATION MONTH.
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new text begin The month of May 2005 is designated "Hepatitis C Awareness
and Education Month" in the state of Minnesota. The governor
shall issue a proclamation honoring this observance.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE.
new text end

new text begin Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final
enactment.
new text end