PRINTER'S NO. 1923
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
360
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY CRUZ, DiGIROLAMO, YOUNGBLOOD, FRANKEL,
SCHLOSSBERG, CALTAGIRONE, LONGIETTI, BIZZARRO, McCLINTON,
KORTZ, HENNESSEY, HILL-EVANS, KINSEY, BURNS, MILLARD,
READSHAW AND NEILSON, MAY 30, 2019
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 30, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of June 2019 as "Cytomegalovirus Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that is
found throughout all geographic locations and socioeconomic
groups and infects 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 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, Roughly 10% of babies born with congenital CMV are
symptomatic at birth, while the overwhelming majority do not
present any symptoms as a newborn; 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, neural tube
defects, such as spina bifida, and pediatric HIV/AIDS; and
WHEREAS, Congenital CMV infection is more common than the 35
combined metabolic and endocrine disorders on the Recommended
Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) for newborns; and
WHEREAS, Screening for congenital CMV can only occur within
the first 21 days of life by screening newborns for CMV in the
saliva, urine or both; and
WHEREAS, Congenital CMV screening was nominated for
consideration to be included on the RUSP in March 2019; 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
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frequent hand washing with soap and water; and
WHEREAS, The National CMV Foundation further recommends that
women not share food, utensils, drinks, straws or a toothbrush
with a child, not place a pacifier in their mouth, avoid contact
with saliva when kissing a child and practice good hand washing
technique after coming into contact with a child's saliva or
bodily fluids; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of June 2019 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 CMV and how to take steps to
prevent the spread of CMV, especially among pregnant women.
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