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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 12, 2019 09:18 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Thomas H. Killion |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | “Lupus Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania (May 2019) |
| In the near future, I plan to offer a resolution recognizing May 2019 as “Lupus Awareness Month” in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and May 10, 2019, as “World Lupus Day” in Pennsylvania. As you may know, Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory disease in which an unstable immune system begins to attack its own tissue and organs. It is estimated that 16,000 new cases of Lupus are reported each year, which affects one out of every 185 people in America and over 65,000 Pennsylvanians. Although Lupus can occur at any age and in females and males; 90 percent of people with Lupus are women, mostly between the ages of 15 and 45 and 20 percent of all cases occur before the age of 20. Minority women are disproportionately diagnosed with Lupus compared to other demographics. The disease can range from mild to moderate to extreme and in the extreme cases, it can be fatal. To this day, the causes of Lupus are unknown and there are no known permanent cures for the disease. However, with early diagnosis and therapy, 80 to 90 percent of people with Lupus can enjoy a normal life span. Increased awareness, treatment availability, and improved diagnostic techniques are critical to the early diagnosis and treatment of this disease. To date, we have joined together to work collaboratively with the Lupus Foundation of America and the Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter to re-introduce this resolution for the current year, 2019. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important resolution. |
Introduced as SR124