House Bill 1046

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO DIRECT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO PREPARE A STATEWIDE HEPATITIS C VIRUS PLAN BEFORE JULY 1, 2007; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is a silent killer that is largely asymptomatic until irreversible liver damage occurs; and

WHEREAS, infecting approximately four million five hundred thousand (4,500,000) people in the United States, with thirty-five thousand (35,000) new infections each year, Hepatitis C is referred to as the "silent epidemic"; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C infects three times more people than does AIDS, and is responsible for one-third (1/3) of all liver transplants; and

WHEREAS, being one (1) of the most significant preventable and treatable public health problems facing our nation today, Hepatitis C may be carried by individuals who expose others to the virus for more than twenty (20) years without showing any symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C does not have a vaccine, and as a result, emphasis must be placed on other means of awareness and prevention of this disease, including, but not limited to, educating individuals who are at high risk for contracting Hepatitis C, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, health care workers and the general public; and

WHEREAS, educating the public and health care community throughout the state about Hepatitis C will help to ensure an optimal approach to controlling this lethal disease; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Not later than July 1, 2007, the State Department of Health, in collaboration with the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, shall prepare and deliver to the Legislature a statewide Hepatitis C

Virus plan.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2004.