Senate Resolution No. 2098
BY: Senator WEBB
MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
the month of May 2026, as Hepatitis B Awareness
Month in the State of New York
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B
virus; current incidence estimates indicate that approximately 1.8
million Americans are infected with hepatitis B virus; and
WHEREAS, New York has one of the highest hepatitis B burdens in the
nation, with a 2021 study estimating a prevalence of approximately 0.8%,
ranking third among U.S. states; Queens County bears a disproportionate
share of this burden, with an estimated 42,600 residents living with
hepatitis B, the second-highest total among U.S. counties; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B spreads from person to person via contact with
infected blood and/or body fluids; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B infection can range from an acute, mild,
short-term illness to a chronic, serious, long-term infection that can
lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer; and
WHEREAS, 85% of infants and 50% of older children and adults with
hepatitis B are asymptomatic and about 1 in 2 people who have hepatitis
B are unaware of their infection status; and
WHEREAS, Infants face an increased hepatitis B exposure risk through
everyday contact and infected family members, and are susceptible to
developing acute and serious health issues if they are infected at birth
or in early childhood; and
WHEREAS, Infants exposed to hepatitis B have a 90% risk of
developing chronic hepatitis B, greatly increasing their risk of
developing serious liver conditions such as liver cancer or cirrhosis in
their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Treatment reduces the risk of serious conditions such as
liver cancer or cirrhosis, but an estimated up to 75 percent of people
who have hepatitis B in the U.S. and are eligible for treatment are not
prescribed treatment, including 40% of those with advanced liver
disease; and
WHEREAS, To safeguard infant health, in 1991, the Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued its first universal hepatitis B
birth dose recommendation, which led to the implementation of the
universal hepatitis B vaccination program in 1992 in the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Before the universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation,
around 18,000 children in the United States were infected each year by
hepatitis B virus before their 10th birthday; and
WHEREAS, From 1990 to 2019, the universal hepatitis B birth dose
recommendation led to a 99% decline in reported cases of acute hepatitis
B in children and young adults and averted an estimated 90,100 deaths in
the United States: and
WHEREAS, The ACIP ended this universal hepatitis B birth dose
recommendation in 2025 and now recommends it for infants born to women
who tested positive for the hepatitis B virus or whose status is
unknown, limiting other infants to a recommendation for shared clinical
decision-making; and
WHEREAS, Public health analyses suggest that skipping or delaying
the hepatitis B birth dose could result in thousands of preventable
hepatitis B infections and hundreds of millions in avoidable healthcare
costs in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Amidst these changes, several states have reaffirmed their
support for a universal hepatitis B birth dose; and
WHEREAS, These state level changes are beneficial to the public
health landscape and prosperity of those states; and
WHEREAS, Given existing shortfalls in annual hepatitis B screening
practices, despite a universal hepatitis B screening recommendation for
pregnant women, vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to
proactively safeguard public health and prevent the devastating effects
of hepatitis B infection; and
WHEREAS, Given existing gaps related to linkage to care for people
who have hepatitis B, greater awareness of and access to hepatitis B
screening and treatment options is needed to protect the health and
well-being of individuals across New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2026, as Hepatitis B
Awareness Month in the State of New York, and to urge the citizens of
this great Empire State to learn about the causes, symptoms, diagnoses
and treatments for Hepatitis B; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.
