AK SCR1

Designates May of each year as Lupus Awareness Month in Alaska.

Acknowledges lupus as an acute, chronic, and often lifelong immune system disease that can affect multiple body parts and cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ failures.

Notes that more than 3,000 cases of lupus have been diagnosed in Alaska in patients aged 10 to 87 years, and that women of color develop lupus at a rate two to three times higher than Caucasians.

Highlights that no new drugs for lupus have been approved by the FDA in the last 50 years and current treatments can have damaging side effects.

Encourages Alaska residents to observe Lupus Awareness Month with appropriate activities to increase awareness and show support for people diagnosed with the disease.