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TO RECOGNIZE MAY 2017 AS "CYSTIC FIBROSIS AWARENESS MONTH" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, cystic fibrosis, commonly referred to as "CF," is a genetic disease affecting approximately thirty thousand children and adults in the United States and nearly seventy thousand children and adults worldwide, over four hundred of whom live in South Carolina; and
Whereas, a defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, and these secretions produce life-threatening lung infections and obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and absorb food; and
Whereas, more than ten million Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene, and CF occurs in approximately one of every three thousand five hundred live births in the United States; and
Whereas, the median age of survival for a person with CF is forty-one years; and
Whereas, with advances in the treatment of CF, the number of adults with CF has steadily grown, and approximately nine hundred new cases of CF are diagnosed each year; and
Whereas, fifty-one percent of the CF population is eighteen years of age and older, and people with CF have a variety of symptoms attributed to the more than one thousand eight hundred mutations of the CF gene; and
Whereas, infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is the most reliable and least costly method to identify persons likely to have CF; and
Whereas, early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and enhances quality of life and longevity. The treatment of CF depends on the stage of the disease and the organs involved; and
Whereas, clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part of the daily CF treatment regimen. Other types of treatments include inhaled antibiotics and pancreatic enzymes, among others; and
Whereas, there are four world-class treatment centers in South Carolina which specialize in the diagnosis of CF and the care of persons with CF; and
Whereas, a critical component of treating patients with CF includes access to innovative treatments, which can play a crucial role in the lives of patients with CF; and
Whereas, improving the length and quality of life for people with CF starts with awareness. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize May 2017 as "Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month" in South Carolina.
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