PRINTER'S NO. 3177
No. 580 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY WHEATLEY, KIRKLAND, PARKER, WILLIAMS, MYERS,
SURRA, DePASQUALE, SEIP, SANTONI, DiGIROLAMO, WAGNER,
M. O'BRIEN, GINGRICH, BUXTON, VEREB, CURRY, McILHATTAN,
WOJNAROSKI, GRUCELA, MAHONEY, KULA AND PALLONE,
FEBRUARY 5, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
FEBRUARY 5, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing February 7, 2008, as "National Black HIV/AIDS
2 Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
4 reports that the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS has reached an
5 epidemic level among African Americans; and
6 WHEREAS, At every stage--from HIV diagnosis through the death
7 of persons with AIDS--the hardest-hit racial or ethnic group is,
8 by far, African Americans; and
9 WHEREAS, Among diseases that disproportionately affect
10 African Americans, HIV/AIDS has a particularly damaging effect;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, Even though African Americans comprise approximately
13 13% of the United States population, one-half of the estimated
14 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in 2005 were for
15 African Americans; and
16 WHEREAS, According to the 2000 census, blacks make up
1 approximately 13% of the United States population. However, in
2 2005, blacks accounted for 18,121 (49%) of the estimated 37,331
3 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in the 33 states
4 with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting; and
5 WHEREAS, More African-American children were afflicted with
6 AIDS in 2004 than were children of all other races and
7 ethnicities combined; and
8 WHEREAS, AIDS has become a leading cause of death for African
9 Americans; and
10 WHEREAS, African Americans with AIDS do not live as long as
11 people in other racial or ethnic groups who have AIDS; and
12 WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control 2007
13 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, the number of African Americans
14 living with AIDS increased by 31% between 2001 and 2005,
15 compared to a 20% increase among caucasians; and
16 WHEREAS, In the same year, HIV/AIDS was the number one cause
17 of death for African-American women ages 25 to 34; and
18 WHEREAS, February 7 is "National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness
19 Day"; and
20 WHEREAS, This annual observance was created to raise
21 awareness among African Americans about HIV/AIDS and its
22 devastating impact on African-American communities; and
23 WHEREAS, The day is part of a national mobilization effort to
24 encourage African Americans to learn more about the threat posed
25 by the disease, obtain testing and treatment and make a
26 commitment to fight HIV/AIDS; and
27 WHEREAS, Awareness is a vital step in stopping the spread of
28 this disease; therefore be it
29 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize
30 February 7, 2008, as "National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day" in
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1 Pennsylvania to ensure that the residents of this Commonwealth
2 are aware of the destructive effect of HIV/AIDS on the African-
3 American community.
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