Presidential Document2023-11054
National Hepatitis Testing Day, 2023
Primary source
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Published
May 23, 2023
Signed
May 18, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 99 (Tuesday, May 23, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 23, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 32949-32950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11054]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 23, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 32949]]
Proclamation 10581 of May 18, 2023
National Hepatitis Testing Day, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Thousands of Americans die every year of viral
hepatitis--infections of the liver that can be managed
or cured if patients know they are infected and can get
treatment. On National Hepatitis Testing Day, we urge
Americans to get tested and recommit to ensuring that
those who are diagnosed can receive lifesaving care.
Viral hepatitis is a hidden epidemic. For those with
hepatitis C, which spreads through contact with
infected blood and is the most common strain, it can be
years between the time someone is infected and when
they first present symptoms, leaving far too many
unaware that they are sick. This can further spread the
virus, delay treatment, and lead to serious liver
disease--including cirrhosis, liver failure, liver
cancer, and even death. Pregnant women with untreated
hepatitis C can also pass the virus on to their
newborns. It disproportionately affects Black Americans
and Native Americans, who too often cannot access
quality health care, and it is more common among those
experiencing homelessness and those who are
incarcerated as more than a third of people in a jail
or prison can be positive at a given time. The good
news is that we now have a cure for hepatitis C that is
95 percent effective--but its high cost, among other
factors, has kept it from many of the more than 2
million Americans in need.
My new Budget includes a bold plan to change that this
decade--ending hepatitis C as a public health threat by
expanding testing, slashing the high cost of treatment,
and promoting awareness of the risks and the cure. It
draws on work that the Department of Veterans Affairs
has done in treating more than 100,000 affected
veterans since 2014. My plan would make testing quicker
and simpler with more point-of-care diagnostic tests so
patients can be tested and treated in a single visit,
rather than having to return several times before
determining their infection status. It would pioneer
innovative approaches to treating hepatitis C,
including a national antiviral subscription model, so
more Americans can get affordable care and taxpayers
can save billions of dollars through prevention and the
reduced need for treatment of advanced liver diseases.
My plan would also support grassroots public health
groups; train more health care professionals; and
expand mobile, telehealth, and community sites focused
on hepatitis testing and care. And it would boost
progress toward a hepatitis C vaccine.
We are also taking steps to prevent hepatitis B--the
second most common strain of the virus among adults,
which can lead to premature death in 15 to 25 percent
of cases. We are fortunate to already have a hepatitis
B vaccine; it has been widely recommended for children
for over 30 years, and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention now urges all adults under 60 to be
screened and vaccinated too. This is especially
important among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and
Pacific Islander communities, who account for almost 60
percent of chronic hepatitis B cases in this country.
Working to beat hepatitis is something that all
Americans can agree is important. It is within our
power to save tens of thousands of lives and billions
of dollars in health care costs, and by reducing liver
cancer, these
[[Page 32950]]
steps will also bring us closer to meeting our moonshot
goal of ending cancer as we know it, achieving one of
the greatest public health victories of all time. Every
American can do their part--ask your health care
provider about getting tested for hepatitis B and C and
about being vaccinated for hepatitis B if you have not
yet done so. And ask the Congress to back our push to
eliminate the threat of viral hepatitis from the United
States for good.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 19, 2023,
as National Hepatitis Testing Day. I encourage all
Americans to join in activities that will increase
awareness about viral hepatitis and what we can do to
prevent and treat it.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-11054
Filed 5-22-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 23, 2023.
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