WHEREAS, Liver cancer and liver disease related to hepatitis B and C are two of the leading killers in California; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis C is the most prevalent bloodborne disease in the United States and in California; and

WHEREAS, Early detection of hepatitis B or C infection promotes effective management or treatment of these infections, preventing disability, loss of productivity and income, and allowing people to live full, satisfying, and productive lives; and

WHEREAS, Undetected and untreated hepatitis B or C infection can lead to disability or death; and

WHEREAS, The majority of the estimated 500,000 Californians with chronic hepatitis C infection do not know they are infected, and are therefore at high risk of severe liver disease, liver cancer, or liver failure; and

WHEREAS, The majority of the estimated 125,000 California residents with hepatitis B infection do not know they are infected, and are therefore at high risk of severe liver disease, liver cancer, or liver failure; and

WHEREAS, Untreated hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of liver failure requiring liver transplant; and

WHEREAS, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines calling for everyone born between 1945 and 1965 to receive a one-time hepatitis C test, which would save over 100,000 lives; and

WHEREAS, There is a vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis B, the first proven, low-cost vaccination against any form of cancer made available to Americans; and

WHEREAS, The cost of hospitalizations for liver cancer and liver disease reached $2 billion in California in 2007, mostly paid for by tax-supported public health insurers; and

WHEREAS, Hepatitis awareness education campaigns and accessible screening for hepatitis B and C, along with appropriate treatment, can reduce the damage from hepatitis B and C viral infection to individuals and to our community, financially, as well as physically and emotionally; now, therefore, be it