0001|                          SENATE MEMORIAL 10
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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|                          ROMAN M. MAES III
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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; and
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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 SENATE OF THE STATE
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0006|     OF NEW MEXICO that the month of June be designated as hepatitis
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0007|     awareness month and that the department of health be urged to
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0008|     increase public awareness and education about the hepatitis C
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0009|     virus during hepatitis awareness month; and
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0010|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0011|     transmitted to the president pro tempore of the senate and the
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0012|     secretary of health.
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0013|                                  
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0014|     
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0015|     
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0016|            
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0017|   
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0018|                      FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
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0019|                        FIRST SESSION, 1997
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0020|   
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0021|   
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0022|                                                  March 12, 1997
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0023|   
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0024|   Mr. President:
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0025|   
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0001|       Your CORPORATIONS & TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, to
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0002|   whom has been referred
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0003|   
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0004|                         SENATE MEMORIAL 10
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0005|   
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0006|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0007|   recommendation that it DO PASS.
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0008|   
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0009|                                Respectfully submitted,
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0010|   
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0011|   
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0012|   
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0013|                                
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0014|   __________________________________
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0015|                                Roman M. Maes, III, Chairman 
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0016|   
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0017|   
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0018|   
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0019|   Adopted_______________________   Not
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0020|   Adopted_______________________
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0021|             (Chief Clerk)                          (Chief Clerk)
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0022|   
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0023|   
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0024|   
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0025|                     Date ________________________
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0001|   
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0002|   
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0003|   The roll call vote was <u> 8 </u> For <u> 0 </u> Against
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0004|           Yes:    8
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0005|           No:     0
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0006|                Excused:     Fidel, Robinson
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0007|           Absent: None
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0008|   
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0009|   
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0010|   SM010CT1
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