S.J.R. 3 Enrolled

1

ADULT IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS MONTH JOINT
2 RESOLUTION
3 2011 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Karen Mayne
6 House Sponsor: Jennifer M. Seelig
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature designates October as Adult Immunization
11 Awareness Month and urges adults to be current in their immunizations.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . designates October as Adult Immunization Awareness Month in the state of Utah to
15 increase awareness of the need for every adult to be current in their immunizations;
16 and
17 . urges Utah's adults to be immunized in order to protect their own health and to help
18 prevent their children and others from becoming ill.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
21
22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
23 WHEREAS, efforts to immunize children have yielded considerably better results than
24 efforts to immunize adults;
25 WHEREAS, influenza is responsible for approximately 20,000 to 40,000 deaths
26 annually, and has gone up to 50,000 deaths and an estimated 200,000 excess hospitalizations at
27 a cost of $750,000,000 to $1,000,000,000 during epidemic years;
28 WHEREAS, mortality from all pneumococcal disease is estimated at 40,000 deaths
29 annually, with morbidity estimated at 500,000 cases of pneumonia, 50,000 cases of sepsis, and

30 3,000 cases of meningitis;
31 WHEREAS, hepatitis B infections occur in 200,000 to 300,000 people each year and
32 result in 10,000 to 15,000 hospitalizations and 250 deaths due to fulminant hepatitis;
33 WHEREAS, approximately 1,000,000 people are carriers of the hepatitis B virus;
34 WHEREAS, 25% of these carriers have chronic active hepatitis, 4,000 die annually
35 from HBV-related cirrhosis, and 800 die annually from HBV-related liver cancer;
36 WHEREAS, those older than 20 represented 95% of tetanus cases and 100% of deaths
37 due to tetanus from 1991-1994 and 33% of measles cases during 1996;
38 WHEREAS, in 1993, 20% of reported mumps cases for which age was known occurred
39 among persons who were at least 20 years old;
40 WHEREAS, an estimated 6% to 11% of younger adults are unprotected against rubella;
41 WHEREAS, in 1994 -1996, 85% of rubella cases for which the age was known
42 occurred among individuals 15 years of age or older;
43 WHEREAS, congenital rubella syndrome is a very rare but serious disease and remains
44 a threat for the offspring of women who have not been immunized;
45 WHEREAS, vaccines for these and other ailments are available to prevent a number of
46 illnesses that contribute to morbidity and mortality in adults in the United States;
47 WHEREAS, the Utah Department of Health should post information urging adults to
48 get current in their immunizations to prevent the spread of diseases such as hepatitis, shingles,
49 chicken pox, and the flu;
50 WHEREAS, the Utah Medical Association should urge in its newsletter to doctors that
51 they inform their adult patients of the importance of being immunized and how to obtain those
52 immunizations; and
53 WHEREAS, Utah children will be more healthy if their parents are properly
54 immunized:
55 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
56 designates October as Adult Immunization Awareness Month in the state of Utah to increase
57 awareness of the need for every adult to be current in their immunizations.

58 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges the adult
59 citizens of the state to be current on their immunizations in order to protect their own health
60 and to help prevent their children and others from becoming ill.
61 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
62 Department of Health and the Utah Medical Association.