093_HB0216
LRB093 02613 MKM 02623 b
1 AN ACT in relation to public health.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and
5 Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by adding Section 2310-376 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 2310/2310-376 new)
8 Sec. 2310-376. Hepatitis C education and outreach.
9 (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
10 following:
11 (1) The World Health Organization characterizes
12 Hepatitis C as a disease of primary concern to humanity.
13 (2) Hepatitis C is considered a silent killer; no
14 recognizable signs or symptoms occur until severe liver
15 damage has occurred.
16 (3) Studies indicate that nearly 4 million
17 Americans (1.8 percent of the population) carry the virus
18 HCV that causes the disease.
19 (4) 30,000 acute new infections occur each year in
20 the United States, and only 25 to 30 percent are
21 diagnosed.
22 (5) 8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from the disease
23 each year.
24 (6) 200,000 Illinois residents may be carriers and
25 could develop the debilitating and potentially deadly
26 liver disease.
27 (7) Inmates of correctional facilities have a
28 higher incidence of Hepatitis C and, upon their release,
29 present a significant health risk to the general
30 population.
-2- LRB093 02613 MKM 02623 b
1 (b) The Department shall conduct an education and
2 outreach campaign, in addition to its overall effort to
3 prevent infectious disease in Illinois, in order to raise
4 awareness about and promote prevention of Hepatitis C.