HEPATITIS B AWARENESS DAY

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0803

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HR0803 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0803
LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the
3
hepatitis B virus, and current incidence estimates indicate
4
that approximately 1.8 million Americans are infected with
5
hepatitis B virus; and

6

WHEREAS, Hepatitis B spreads from person to person via
7
contact with infected blood and/or body fluids; and

8

WHEREAS, Hepatitis B infection can range from an acute,
9
mild, short-term illness to a chronic, serious, long-term
10
infection that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer; and

11

WHEREAS, Approximately one in two people who have
12
hepatitis B are unaware of their infection, and 85% of infants
13
and 50% of older children and adults with hepatitis B are
14
asymptomatic; and

15

WHEREAS, Infants face an increased hepatitis B exposure
16
risk through everyday contact and infected family members, and
17
they are susceptible to developing acute and serious health
18
issues if they are infected at birth or in early childhood; and

19

WHEREAS, Infants exposed to hepatitis B have a 90% risk of
20
developing chronic hepatitis B, greatly increasing their risk

HR0803
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LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
of developing serious liver conditions such as liver cancer or
2
cirrhosis in their lifetimes; and

3

WHEREAS, Treatment reduces the risk of serious conditions
4
such as liver cancer or cirrhosis, but an estimated up to 75%
5
of people who have hepatitis B in the U.S. and are eligible for
6
treatment are not prescribed treatment, including 40% of those
7
with advanced liver disease; and

8

WHEREAS, To safeguard infant health, in 1991, the Advisory
9
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued its first
10
universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, which led to
11
the implementation of the universal hepatitis B vaccination
12
program in 1992 in the United States; and

13

WHEREAS, Before the universal hepatitis B birth dose
14
recommendation, approximately 18,000 children in the United
15
States were infected each year by hepatitis B virus before
16
their tenth birthdays; and

17

WHEREAS, From 1990 to 2019, the universal hepatitis B
18
birth dose recommendation led to a 99% decline in reported
19
cases of acute hepatitis B in children and young adults and
20
averted an estimated 90,100 deaths in the United States; and

21

WHEREAS, The ACIP ended this universal hepatitis B birth

HR0803
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LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
dose recommendation in 2025 and now recommends it for infants
2
born to women who tested positive for the hepatitis B virus or
3
whose status is unknown, limiting other infants to a
4
recommendation for shared clinical decision-making; and

5

WHEREAS, Public health analyses suggest that skipping or
6
delaying the hepatitis B birth dose could result in thousands
7
of preventable hepatitis B infections and hundreds of millions
8
in avoidable healthcare costs in the United States; and

9

WHEREAS, Amidst these changes, several states have
10
reaffirmed their support for a universal hepatitis B birth
11
dose; and

12

WHEREAS, These state-level changes are beneficial to the
13
public health landscape and prosperity of those states; and

14

WHEREAS, Given existing shortfalls in annual hepatitis B
15
screening practices, despite a universal hepatitis B screening
16
recommendation for pregnant women, vaccination remains the
17
safest and most effective way to proactively safeguard public
18
health and prevent the devastating effects of hepatitis B
19
infection; and

20

WHEREAS, Given existing gaps related to linkage to care
21
for people who have hepatitis B, greater awareness of and

HR0803
- 4 -
LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
access to hepatitis B screening and treatment options is
2
needed to protect the health and well-being of individuals
3
across Illinois; therefore, be it

4

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6
we declare July 28, 2026 as Hepatitis B Awareness Day in the
7
State of Illinois to continue educating the public on the
8
importance of hepatitis B vaccination, screening, and linkage
9
to care, to initiate meaningful dialogue around vaccination,
10
and to encourage the uptake of hepatitis B vaccines,
11
screening, and treatment; and be it further

12

RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Health to direct
13
healthcare providers and public health officials to continue
14
to promote hepatitis B vaccination as a highly effective and
15
safe public health measure, increase public awareness about
16
the importance of all Illinois residents receiving a hepatitis
17
B vaccination, and promote outreach and education efforts
18
concerning hepatitis B vaccination; and be it further

19

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Health
20
to collaborate with the Illinois Department of Insurance and
21
other applicable state agencies to expand access to and
22
awareness of hepatitis B testing and treatment options, ensure
23
coverage for the hepatitis B vaccine remains in place, and

HR0803
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LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
identify, review, and remove any barriers to hepatitis B
2
vaccine, screening, and treatment access; and be it further

3

RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of
4
Health to work with any relevant state and local health
5
agencies, healthcare providers, and patients/community
6
representatives to develop an effective and actionable state
7
hepatitis B strategic plan focused on areas such as
8
immunization, screening, and linkage to care, which will align
9
stakeholders on shared objectives and efforts to facilitate
10
broad screening, vaccine, and treatment availability and
11
access; comparable initiatives in other states, such as the
12
New York Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan, may be used as
13
guiding models for Illinois plan development; and be it
14
further

15

RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of
16
Health to establish a hepatitis B working group to develop
17
measurable goals on which to center the hepatitis B strategic
18
plan, which may include but are not limited to strengthening
19
immunization infrastructure, improving coverage policies,
20
assessing vaccine administration fees, increasing community
21
demand, improving vaccine confidence, and promoting health
22
equity initiatives to improve vaccine, screening and treatment
23
uptake; the proposed hepatitis B working group is encouraged
24
to provide regular updates to the Illinois Department of

HR0803
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LRB104 20909 RMO 34639 r
1
Health on its activities, progress toward established goals,
2
and any recommendations; and be it further

3

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
4
delivered to the Illinois Department of Health and the
5
Illinois Department of Insurance.

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