SR-50, As Adopted by Senate, May 11, 2023
SENATE RESOLUTION NO.50
Senators Hertel, Chang and Singh offered the following
resolution:
1 A resolution to urge the Centers for Disease Control and
2 Prevention to include new respiratory syncytial virus immunization
3 technologies (including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies) within
4 the federal Vaccines for Children Program.
5 Whereas, Respiratory syncytial virus, commonly referred to as
6 RSV, is a highly transmissible, seasonal virus that may have severe
7 and unpredictable outcomes for infants, including hospitalization.
8 RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the
9 United States and is the most common cause of bronchiolitis
10 (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia
11 (infection of the lungs) in children younger than one year of age
12 in the United States. Nearly all children will be infected with RSV
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1 by age two, and most infants requiring hospitalization do not have
2 underlying conditions or risk factors. RSV affects Native American,
3 Alaskan Native, and low-income communities at higher rates than
4 other communities; and
5 Whereas, In the United States, RSV infections typically occur
6 during the late fall, winter, and early spring; therefore, urgent
7 action is needed. The current RSV season has resulted in
8 significant morbidity and hospitalizations. In fall 2022,
9 Michigan’s positivity rate for RSV tests surpassed twenty-three
10 percent at times, which was an increase from the seventeen-point
11 three percent rate in 2021; and
12 Whereas, Monoclonal antibodies for RSV have shown promise in
13 providing preventative protections against the disease; and
14 Whereas, The Vaccines for Children Program is a federally
15 funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who
16 might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay. The
17 Vaccines for Children Program coverage is critical to ensure equity
18 and access for all infants in order to have the greatest impact on
19 disease prevention; now, therefore, be it
20 Resolved by the Senate, That we urge the Centers for Disease
21 Control and Prevention to include new respiratory syncytial virus
22 immunization technologies (including vaccines and monoclonal
23 antibodies) within the federal Vaccines for Children Program; and
24 be it further
25 Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the
26 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
27 Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
28 and the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and
29 Human Services.
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