PRINTER'S NO. 1899
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
372
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY CRUZ, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, MARSICO, KINSEY,
MILLARD, THOMAS, BIZZARRO, TOOHIL, D. COSTA, WARD,
SCHLOSSBERG, CALTAGIRONE, LONGIETTI, PASHINSKI, HENNESSEY,
READSHAW, V. BROWN, DRISCOLL, NEILSON, WARREN AND ROZZI,
JUNE 5, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 5, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of June 2017 as "Cytomegalovirus Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that is
found universally throughout all geographic locations and
socioeconomic groups and has infected between 50% and 80% of
adults in the United States who have reached 40 years of age;
and
WHEREAS, CMV belongs to the same group of viruses that
include chickenpox, shingles, mononucleosis and herpes simplex
viruses and remains with a person for life once infected; and
WHEREAS, Most healthy adults and children who are infected
with CMV will have few, if any, signs or symptoms and CMV often
goes undiagnosed; and
WHEREAS, In the United States, approximately 60% of women are
at risk for contracting CMV during pregnancy, with the highest
risk being among pregnant women who already have young children
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or who work with young children; and
WHEREAS, Due to its prevalence, CMV is the virus most
frequently transmitted by an infected mother to a child before
or during birth; and
WHEREAS, Each year in the United States, approximately 1 in
150, or 30,000, children are born with congenital CMV, causing
an estimated 400 deaths and leaving approximately 5,000 children
with permanent disabilities, including hearing or vision loss or
intellectual disabilities; and
WHEREAS, More children are adversely affected by congenital
CMV than by several better-known childhood diseases or syndromes
such as Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome and spina bifida;
and
WHEREAS, Congenital CMV is more common than the 34 combined
metabolic and endocrine disorders on the Recommended Uniform
Screening Panel for newborns; and
WHEREAS, In the United States, only 9% of women have heard of
CMV, compared with 97% who have heard of Down syndrome and 98%
who have heard of HIV/AIDS; and
WHEREAS, Every woman of childbearing age should know her CMV
status by asking her doctor for a CMV blood test; and
WHEREAS, To prevent CMV, women should avoid saliva and other
bodily fluids of children under 6 years of age and practice
frequent hand washing with soap and water; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of June 2017 as "Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania and encourage all residents to work within their
communities to increase awareness of the risks of CMV and how to
take steps to prevent the spread of this disease especially
among pregnant women.
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