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Barack ObamaPresident of the United States of America1600 Pennsylvania Aye, NWWashington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the approximately 6 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis B andhepatitis C virus, we are writing to urge you to issue a Presidential Proclamationofficially recognizing July 28, 2015 as World Hepatitis Day. We also encourage you toparticipate in a Department of Health and Human Services Viral Hepatitis awareness-raising event on that day.

Each year an estimated 21,000 Americans die from hepatitis B and C. Worldwide,approximately 2 billion people have been infected with hepatitis B and roughly 240million live with chronic infection. About 3 to 4 million people are newly infected withhepatitis C each year and about 130-150 million people are living with chronic infection.Approximately 780,000 people die each year due to hepatitis B and an estimated350,000-500,000 or more die each year due to liver disease from chronic hepatitis C virusinfection.

The 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Hepatitis and Liver Cancer. A NationalStrategyfor Prevention and Control ofHepatitis B and C, found that the American publicand health care providers are not adequately educated about the risk of infection,screening recommendations, or treatment options, and that our current hepatitisprevention efforts are not working. This is not surprising; the lack of leadership anddedication of public resources to hepatitis has led to an ill-informed American public andan ill-equipped public health system which is unable to manage these burgeoningepidemics.

We commend the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing andUrban Development (HUD), Justice (DOJ), and Veterans Affairs (VA) for workingcollaboratively to release a 3-year update of the HHS Viral Hepatitis Action Plan in April2014. The updated Plan represents another critical milestone in the US response to viralhepatitis and a key opportunity for you to reverse the harms due to the past two decadesof inaction. With an effective and safe vaccine for hepatitis B, and novel curativetherapies for hepatitis C, we have the tools to effectively combat and potentiallyeliminate this domestic epidemic in our lifetime.

Your continued recognition of hepatitis as a domestic and global epidemic will send astrong message across the nation and around the globe that the viral hepatitis epidemiccan no longer be ignored.

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In the U.S., many community-based, advocacy, and health care organizations areplanning awareness events and activities on and around July 28 to help educate theAmerican public about hepatitis B and C and urge prevention, testing, and treatment.Your participation in the HHS Event or in any World Hepatitis Day events would bringdesperately needed attention to these epidemics. With your support and a PresidentialProclamation, we can begin to stem the spread of these infections and control theseepidemics once and for all.

We look forward to working with the White House, Federal agencies and the communityto continue raising the profile of this important health issue.

Sincerely,

M K. Hirono Charles E. SchumerUnited States Senator United States Senator

4/.~U/1lL,L~.Brian Schatz Michael M. HondaUnited States Senator Member of Congress

Co-Chair, Hepatitis Caucus

Ad IC. Ha ~ ohnson, Jr. Charles W. Dent

Member of Congress Member of CongressCo-Chair, Hepatitis Caucus Co-Chair, Hepatitis Caucus

4 / pI. LLOlIFrederica S. Wilson ar es . Range!Member of Congress Member of Congress

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J.~~ Ral ~. ijalvaMe . a Congress Member of Congress

HE11Shelia Jackson Le~Member of Congress

Eleanor Holmes NortonMember of Congress

Yvette D. ClarkeMember of Congress

IGregory . - - sMember of Congress

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~L~CRobin KellyMember of Congress

~ obby RushMember of ongress

Mark TakanoMember of Congress

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7~ mber of Congress

Gregorio Kilili amacho SablanMember of Congress

.anfor.I D. Bishop, Jr.ember of Congress

Donald M. PayneMember of Congress

ABarbara LeeMember of Congres