PRINTER'S NO. 1689
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
331
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY SCHWANK, SABATINA, DINNIMAN, GREENLEAF, FONTANA,
MARTIN, FARNESE, BARTOLOTTA, HUGHES, BROWNE, BREWSTER,
FOLMER, KILLION, RAFFERTY, VULAKOVICH, YUDICHAK, BLAKE,
BAKER, MENSCH, HUTCHINSON AND COSTA, APRIL 23, 2018
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, APRIL 23, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of May 2018 as "Cystic Fibrosis Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that
affects approximately 70,000 children and adults worldwide and
approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States,
1,488 of whom live in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, With CF, a defective gene causes the body to produce
an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads
to life-threatening lung infections and obstructions to the
pancreas that prevent digestive enzymes from reaching the
intestines to help break down and absorb food; and
WHEREAS, More than 10 million Americans are symptomless
carriers of the defective CF gene; and
WHEREAS, CF occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,500 live
births in the United States; and
WHEREAS, With advancements in the treatment of CF, the median
age of survival for an individual with CF is approximately 40
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years; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 50% of the population with CF is at
least 18 years of age, and individuals with CF have a variety of
symptoms attributed to the more than 1,800 mutations of the CF
gene; and
WHEREAS, Early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and
enhances the quality of life and longevity of CF patients, and
the treatment of CF depends on the stage of the disease and the
organs involved; and
WHEREAS, Infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is
the most reliable and least costly method to identify
individuals likely to have CF; and
WHEREAS, Clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part
of the daily CF treatment regimen and other types of treatments
include, but are not limited to, inhaled antibiotics and
pancreatic enzymes; and
WHEREAS, There are 12 world-class treatment centers in this
Commonwealth that specialize in the diagnosis and care of
individuals with CF; and
WHEREAS, Improving the length and quality of life for
individuals with CF starts with awareness; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of May 2018 as
"Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
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