093_HB0687enr
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1 AN ACT in relation to 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 Sections 2310-376, 2310-377, and 2310-378
7 as follows:
8 (20 ILCS 2310/2310-376 new)
9 Sec. 2310-376. Hepatitis C education and outreach.
10 (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
11 following:
12 (1) The World Health Organization characterizes
13 Hepatitis C as a disease of primary concern to humanity.
14 (2) Hepatitis C is considered a silent killer; no
15 recognizable signs or symptoms occur until severe liver
16 damage has occurred.
17 (3) Studies indicate that nearly 4 million
18 Americans (1.8 percent of the population) carry the virus
19 HCV that causes the disease.
20 (4) 30,000 acute new infections occur each year in
21 the United States, and only 25 to 30 percent are
22 diagnosed.
23 (5) 8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from the disease
24 each year.
25 (6) 200,000 Illinois residents may be carriers and
26 could develop the debilitating and potentially deadly
27 liver disease.
28 (7) Inmates of correctional facilities have a
29 higher incidence of Hepatitis C and, upon their release,
30 present a significant health risk to the general
31 population.
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1 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
2 conduct an education and outreach campaign, in addition to
3 its overall effort to prevent infectious disease in Illinois,
4 in order to raise awareness about and promote prevention of
5 Hepatitis C.
6 (20 ILCS 2310/2310-377 new)
7 Sec. 2310-377. Lupus education and outreach.
8 (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
9 following:
10 (1) Lupus is a chronic, incurable auto-immune
11 disease of unknown origin that mainly affects women of
12 childbearing age, is difficult to diagnose, and causes
13 severe, potentially life-threatening organ damage.
14 (2) The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that
15 1.4 million people in the U.S. have a form of lupus.
16 (3) Lupus causes the immune system to attack the
17 body's healthy cells and tissues producing skin damage,
18 rheumatoid arthritis, life-threatening inflammation of
19 multiple major organs, and a potentially fatal failure of
20 the renal, circulatory, or central nervous system.
21 (4) Symptoms include joint pain, rash, unusual loss
22 of hair, unexplained fever, low blood counts, sensitivity
23 to the sun, and fingers that turn pale or purple when
24 exposed to cold.
25 (5) According to the Lupus Foundation of America, a
26 survey of its members revealed that more than half of all
27 people with lupus suffered 4 or more years and were
28 examined by 3 or more doctors before obtaining a correct
29 diagnosis.
30 (6) According to the Center for Disease Control and
31 Prevention, the number of lupus-related deaths between
32 1979 and 1988 increased dramatically; African American
33 women, ages 45-64, experienced a 70% increase, the
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1 largest increase among all groups in the 20 years
2 studied.
3 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
4 conduct an education and outreach campaign in order to raise
5 awareness about the symptoms and treatment of lupus, a
6 potentially life-threatening disease.
7 (20 ILCS 2310/2310-378 new)
8 Sec. 2310-378. Wilson's disease.
9 (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
10 following:
11 (1) Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in
12 which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body
13 and can cause liver disease and neurological or
14 psychiatric disorders; and
15 (2) Successful treatment is available for sufferers
16 of Wilson's disease but, without proper treatment, the
17 disease is generally fatal by the age of 30.
18 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall: (i)
19 conduct a public health information campaign for physicians,
20 hospitals, health facilities, public health departments, and
21 the general public on Wilson's disease, methods of care, and
22 treatment modalities available; (ii) identify and catalog
23 Wilson's disease resources in this State for distribution and
24 referral purposes; and (iii) coordinate services with
25 established programs, including State, federal, and voluntary
26 groups.