CA ACR174

Proclaims May 2018 as Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19, 2018, as Hepatitis Testing Day in California.

Recognizes that approximately 400,737 Californians have chronic hepatitis C infection and 350,000 have hepatitis B infection, with most unaware of their status.

Notes that hepatitis B and C cause nearly 1.5 million deaths worldwide annually and that hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States now exceed all other nationally notifiable infectious conditions combined.

Highlights that new medications can cure hepatitis C in over 90 percent of treated patients and that early detection enables effective management and prevents disability and death.

Supports increased awareness, accessible screening, and treatment to reduce the public health and financial burden of hepatitis infections in California.