119-HRES362

Resolution is currently in: House
Passed:

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 362

Expressing support for the designation of April 30, 2025, as "National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day".

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 30, 2025

Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Velázquez, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Sewell, and Ms. Chu) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

RESOLUTION

Whereas up to 2.4 million individuals in the United States are chronically infected with hepatitis B, and up to two-thirds of individuals with chronic hepatitis B are unaware of their infection status;

Whereas hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver transmitted via infected blood and other body fluids, including through mother-to-child transmission and injection drug use;

Whereas hepatitis B is associated with significant disparities among communities of color (including Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and African immigrants), sexual and gender minority communities, and those affected by the opioid crisis;

Whereas individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, HIV, hepatitis C, and chronic liver disease, and individuals on hemodialysis are at an increased risk for hepatitis B co-infection;

Whereas there is no cure for hepatitis B and individuals with chronic hepatitis B require lifelong medical care;

Whereas chronic hepatitis B represents one of the most common causes of liver cancer;

Whereas 1 in every 4 individuals with unmanaged chronic hepatitis B will develop liver cancer, cirrhosis, or liver failure, with liver cancer having a 5-year survival rate of only 18 percent in the United States;

Whereas safe and highly effective vaccines to protect against hepatitis B are available;

Whereas in accordance with universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination recommendations in the United States, infants and children have been routinely vaccinated against hepatitis B since the 1990s;

Whereas all adults aged 19 to 59, and adults 60 and older with hepatitis B risk factors, are recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis B;

Whereas the hepatitis B vaccine, which is 95 percent effective and was the first anticancer vaccine to be developed, is projected to have prevented 310 million cases of hepatitis B worldwide from 1990 to 2020;

Whereas only 30 percent of adults in the United States are vaccinated against hepatitis B;

Whereas the number of reported acute hepatitis B cases increased by 11 percent nationwide between 2014 and 2018;

Whereas, as a result of the drug use epidemic, there have been significant regional increases in acute hepatitis B cases in the United States, including—

(1) - a 489 percent increase in acute hepatitis B infections from 2015 to 2016 in Maine;

(2) - a reported 114 percent increase from 2009 to 2013 in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee;

(3) - a reported 78 percent increase in 2017 in southeastern Massachusetts; and

(4) - a reported 56 percent increase from 2014 to 2016 in North Carolina;

Whereas 36 percent of new hepatitis B cases are among people who inject drugs;

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV and 5 to 10 times more infectious than hepatitis C; and

Whereas there are significant opportunities, particularly within the setting of the drug use epidemic, to prevent new hepatitis B infections and thereby reduce the incidence of liver cancer and cirrhosis through efforts to—

(1) - increase adult hepatitis B vaccination; and

(2) - maintain childhood hepatitis B vaccination: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—

(1) - supports the designation of "National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day";

(2) - recognizes the importance of providing support and encouragement—

(A) - for all adults aged 18 and older to be tested for hepatitis B at least once in their lifetime in accordance with recommendations;

(B) - for individuals susceptible to infection to be vaccinated against hepatitis B; and

(C) - for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis B to be linked to appropriate care; and

(3) - in order to reduce the number of new hepatitis B infections and hepatitis B-related deaths, encourages a commitment to—

(A) - increasing adult hepatitis B vaccination rates;

(B) - maintaining childhood hepatitis B vaccination rates; and

(C) - promoting provider and community awareness of adult hepatitis B vaccination.