Introduced Version
House Concurrent Resolution 79 History
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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 79
(By Delegates By Delegates Perdue, Hatfield, Tucker, Susman,
Marshall, Longstreth, Moore, Long, Hrutkay, Frederick, DeLong,
Webster, Brown, Rowan, Hall, Ashley, Border, Schadler, Sumner and
Lane
)
(Originating in the Committee on Health and Human Resources)
[Introduced March 1, 2006]
Requesting that the Committee on Government and Finance to
conduct a study on the public health crisis created in West
Virginia created by antibiotic resistance.
W
HEREAS
, In 1954, two million pounds of antibiotics were
produced in the United States, compared to over fifty million
pounds in 2000 and despite their extraordinary value, the overuse
of these miracle drugs in medicine and agriculture endangers their
continued effectiveness; and
W
HEREAS
, Each year in the United States, humans consume over
235 million doses of antibiotics, with 20 to 50 percent of the use
being unnecessary and over 40 percent of antibiotics produced in
the United States are used in livestock production which also pose
a problem because of human consumption of the livestock; and
W
HEREAS
, Every time a person takes an antibiotic, sensitive
bacteria are killed, but some bacteria may become resistant to the
medication and multiply, resulting in the drug becoming ineffective for treating infections caused by that strain of bacteria; and
W
HEREAS
, Anti-biotic resistant microcosms are becoming an
increasing problem for West Virginia residents, especially children,
and with outbreaks of multidrug resistant strains of staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA)being found among football players in West Virginia
schools; and
W
HEREAS
, Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms present challenges
to health care providers and infection control practitioners because
treatments for common infections will become increasingly limited
and expensive or nonexistent; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance study the State's need for educational
campaigns and public awareness to address and prevent the spread of
antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance is requested to establish an antibiotic resistance awareness
education committee that will undertake a comprehensive review of
the various issues related to overuse of antibiotics and
recommendations for correcting this problem in West Virginia,
including, but not limited to:
1. Use of antibiotics for colds, upper respiratory tract
infections, bronchitis even though national clinical practice
guidelines do not recommend their use for viral infections;
2. Contribution to the problem by patients by asking for antibiotics when they are not needed, or by not completing the
entire course of antibiotics prescribed;
3. The effect on West Virginia hospital stays caused by
antibiotic overuse; and
4. Recommendations for the Department of Health and Human
Resources, hospitals, health care providers, managed care plans and
pharmaceutical companies to work together to develop an educational
campaign to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant
microorganisms in West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the antibiotic resistance awareness
education
committee shall consist of two members each from the House
of Delegates and the Senate, including the chairs of the Health and
Human Resources committees, to be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Delegates and the President of the Senate; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the antibiotic resistance awareness
education
committee shall have the following advisory members for
the purposes of providing technical information: a pharmacist, a
physician, and an epidemiologist. The advisory members shall be
selected from relevant governmental agencies, including, but not
limited to, the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the Bureau for
Medical Services, the Bureau for Public Health, and the Board of
Pharmacy. The advisory appointments shall be made by the President
of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the committee on antibiotic resistance
awareness education
report to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on or before the thirty-first day of January, 2007, on its
findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of
any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be
it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this
study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be
paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance.