PRINTER'S NO. 3486
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
898
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY CRUZ, YOUNGBLOOD, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, M. QUINN,
BURNS, NEILSON, READSHAW, HENNESSEY, LONGIETTI, SCHLOSSBERG,
CALTAGIRONE, MURT, WARD, DRISCOLL, MARSICO, TOOHIL, MILLARD,
BRADFORD AND D. COSTA, MAY 3, 2018
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 3, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of June 2018 as "Cytomegalovirus Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that is
found 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
includes 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 often go
undiagnosed; and
WHEREAS, In the United States, approximately 60% of women are
at risk for contracting CMV during pregnancy, with the highest
risk among pregnant women who already have young children or who
work with young children; and
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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
every 200 children is born with congenital CMV, causing an
estimated 400 deaths and leaving approximately 6,000 children
with permanent disabilities such as 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 infection 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 six 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 2018 as "Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage all
residents to work within their communities to increase awareness
about the risk of contracting cytomegalovirus and how to take
steps to prevent the spread of CMV, especially among pregnant
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women.
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