PRINTER'S NO. 4147
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
951
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY MOUL, OTTEN, SCHMITT, KINSEY, KOSIEROWSKI,
MILLARD, SCHLOSSBERG, MURT, RYAN, SONNEY, BROWN, BERNSTINE,
DALEY, KORTZ, BURNS, PICKETT, LONGIETTI, DONATUCCI, READSHAW,
NEILSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, JULY 14, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JULY 14, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of September 2020 as "Hirschsprung's
Disease Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania to coincide with a
global initiative in Australia.
WHEREAS, Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a rare birth defect
that causes an absence of certain intestinal nerve cells, which
inhibits or prevents the elimination of waste from a newborn
baby; and
WHEREAS, HD exists in 1 in 5,000 births, and it is four times
more common in boys than girls; and
WHEREAS, Symptoms of HD are common in other diseases and
consequently may be difficult to recognize; and
WHEREAS, The symptoms of HD include all of the following:
(1) Delayed passage of newborn meconium.
(2) Ongoing chronic constipation.
(3) Excessive vomiting.
(4) Unexplained fever.
(5) Hard mass and bloated belly;
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and
WHEREAS, Nontreatment of HD can lead to malnourishment, a
perforated bowel or even an unexpected death from sepsis; and
WHEREAS, HD develops during the 4th to 12th week of gestation
when nerve cells are migrating from the brain, down the spinal
column, to form the intestines; and
WHEREAS, There are degrees of severity of HD based on where
the migration of nerve cells stops during fetal development; and
WHEREAS, A biopsy of internal bowels is necessary for
diagnosis of HD; and
WHEREAS, When a surgical correction is necessary to treat HD,
a pull-through surgery removes the nonfunctioning portion of the
intestine; and
WHEREAS, In the most severe forms of HD, an intestinal
transplant is necessary to treat HD; and
WHEREAS, If an individual is suspected of having HD, the
individual should seek immediate medical attention; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of September 2020 as "Hirschsprung's Disease Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania to coincide with a global initiative in
Australia; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives seek to make
caregivers of newborn babies in this Commonwealth aware of HD,
allowing them to seek an early diagnosis and proper treatment of
the disease if necessary.
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