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2010 SESSION

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 195 Designating the month of May, in 2010 and in each succeeding year, as Lupus Awareness Month in Virginia.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 8, 2010 Agreed to by the Senate, March 2, 2010

 

WHEREAS, each year, the Lupus Foundation of America designates May as National Lupus Awareness Month to show support for the estimated 1.5 million Americans who have lupus; and

WHEREAS, lupus is an acute and chronic (lifelong) autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system in the body; and

WHEREAS, lupus can affect any part of the body, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain; no organ is spared; the disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ failure; and

WHEREAS, while lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age, no one is safe from lupus; African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans are two to three times more likely to develop lupus—a disparity that remains unexplained; and

WHEREAS, lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses, and major gaps exist in understanding the causes and consequences of lupus; more than half of all people with lupus take four or more years and visit three or more doctors before obtaining a correct diagnosis; and

WHEREAS, there have been no new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically for lupus in 50 years; current treatments for the disease can have damaging side effects; and

WHEREAS, roughly 40,000 Virginians are affected by lupus; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate the month of May, in 2010 and in each succeeding year, as Lupus Awareness Month in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That Virginia citizens observe this month by educating themselves on the symptoms and impact of lupus and join with the Greater Washington Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America in supporting programs of research, education, and community service; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this month on the General Assembly’s website.