0001|                          HOUSE MEMORIAL 14
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0002|     43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          M. MICHAEL OLGUIN
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                              A MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THAT THE MONTH OF JUNE BE DESIGNATED AS HEPATITIS
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0012|     AWARENESS MONTH AND URGING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
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0013|     INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION ABOUT THE VIRUS DURING
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0014|     HEPATITIS AWARENESS MONTH.
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0015|     
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0016|          WHEREAS, chronic viral hepatitis currently infects four
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0017|     million five hundred thousand Americans; and
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0018|          WHEREAS, the national institute of health has determined
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0019|     chronic viral hepatitis to be a major public health issue, and
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0020|     it will be conducting a consensus conference addressing the
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0021|     detection and treatment of the hepatitis C virus; and
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0022|          WHEREAS, there are one hundred fifty thousand new cases of
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0023|     chronic viral hepatitis each year in the United States despite
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0024|     the fact that the virus is largely unreported and
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0025|     underdiagnosed; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, the hepatitis C virus is the cause of eight
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0002|     thousand to ten thousand preventable deaths per year in the
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0003|     United States; and
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0004|          WHEREAS, consequences of the hepatitis C virus cost about
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0005|     seven million three hundred thousand dollars ($7,300,000) per
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0006|     one hundred thousand patients because individuals infected with
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0007|     the virus remain largely asymptomatic until the virus causes
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0008|     irreversible liver damage; and
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0009|          WHEREAS, eighty-five percent of all Americans infected
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0010|     with the hepatitis C virus become chronically infected and
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0011|     develop cirrhosis and liver cancer; and
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0012|          WHEREAS, the American liver foundation estimates that in
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0013|     the 1980s blood transfusions caused transmission of the human
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0014|     immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C viruses with an
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0015|     estimated three hundred thousand people infected with the
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0016|     hepatitis C virus alone because of the lack of adequate
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0017|     screening of the blood supply prior to 1990; and
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0018|          WHEREAS, risk factors for the hepatitis C virus include
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0019|     popular practices such as body piercing and tattooing, and
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0020|     other means of blood transmission, including health care
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0021|     workers who are exposed to needle sticks, and intravenous drug
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0022|     users, but in more than forty percent of infected patients, it
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0023|     is unknown how the virus occurred; and
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0024|          WHEREAS, there is a food and drug administration-approved
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0025|     treatment for the hepatitis C virus; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, educating Americans about chronic viral hepatitis
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0002|     can help prevent its spread; 
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0003|          WHEREAS, chronic viral hepatitis is largely unreported and
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0004|     the public is uninformed about the virus;
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0005|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
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0006|     REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the month of
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0007|     June be designated as hepatitis awareness month and that the
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0008|     department of health be urged to increase public awareness and
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0009|     education about the hepatitis C virus during hepatitis
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0010|     awareness month; and
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0011|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0012|     transmitted to the speaker of the house of representatives and
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0013|     the secretary of health.
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0014|                                  
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0015|     
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0016|     
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0017|                                 State of New Mexico
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0018|                      House of Representatives
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0019|   
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0020|                      FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
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0021|                        FIRST SESSION, 1997
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0022|   
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0023|   
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0024|                                                  March 11, 1997
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0025|   
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0001|   
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0002|   Mr. Speaker:
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0003|   
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0004|        Your VOTERS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, to whom has
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0005|   been referred
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0006|   
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0007|                      HOUSE MEMORIAL 14
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0008|                               
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0009|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0010|   recommendation that it DO PASS.
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0011|   
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0012|                                 Respectfully submitted,
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0013|   
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0014|   
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0015|   
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0016|                                 <u>                                
</u>    |
<u></u>0017| <u>  
</u>    |
<u></u>0018| <u>                                </u>                             Edward C. Sandoval, Chairman
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0019|   
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0020|   
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0021|   Adopted <u>                    </u>     Not Adopted <u>                    
</u>    |
<u></u>0022| <u>   </u>
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0023|             (Chief Clerk)                       (Chief Clerk)
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0024|   
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0025|                        Date <u>            </u>
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0001|   
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0002|   The roll call vote was<u> 10 </u> For<u> 0 </u> Against
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0003|   Yes:      10
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0004|             Excused:  Nicely, Sanchez
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0005|             Absent:   None
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0006|   
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0007|   
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0008|   G:\BILLTEXT\BILLW_97\HM014
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