Florida Senate - 2017                            (NP)    SR 1840
       
       
        
       By Senator Flores
       
       
       
       
       
       39-03508-17                                           20171840__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing May 2017 as “Cystic Fibrosis
    3         Awareness Month” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects
    6  more than 1,400 children and adults in Florida, more than 30,000
    7  children and adults in the United States, and nearly 70,000
    8  children and adults worldwide, and
    9         WHEREAS, cystic fibrosis is triggered by a defective gene
   10  that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky
   11  mucus that clogs the lungs, and these secretions produce life
   12  threatening lung infections and obstruct the pancreas,
   13  preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to
   14  help break down and absorb food, and
   15         WHEREAS, more than 10 million Americans are symptomless
   16  carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene, and the disease occurs in
   17  approximately one of every 3,500 live births in the United
   18  States, and
   19         WHEREAS, the median age of survival for a person with
   20  cystic fibrosis is 41 years, and
   21         WHEREAS, the number of adults with cystic fibrosis has
   22  steadily grown, and approximately 900 new cases of the disease
   23  are diagnosed each year, and
   24         WHEREAS, 51 percent of persons with cystic fibrosis are 18
   25  years of age and older, and people with cystic fibrosis have a
   26  variety of symptoms attributed to the more than 1,800 mutations
   27  of the cystic fibrosis gene, and
   28         WHEREAS, infant blood screening to detect genetic defects
   29  is the most reliable and least costly method to identify persons
   30  likely to have the disease, and
   31         WHEREAS, early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis permits early
   32  treatment and enhances quality of life and longevity, and
   33         WHEREAS, clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part
   34  of the daily cystic fibrosis treatment regimen, and other types
   35  of treatments include inhaled antibiotics and pancreatic
   36  enzymes, and
   37         WHEREAS, there are 20 world-class treatment centers in
   38  Florida that specialize in the diagnosis and care of persons
   39  with cystic fibrosis, and
   40         WHEREAS, a critical component of treating patients with
   41  cystic fibrosis includes access to innovative treatments that
   42  can play a crucial role in their lives, and
   43         WHEREAS, improving the length and quality of life for
   44  people with cystic fibrosis starts with awareness, NOW,
   45  THEREFORE,
   46  
   47  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   48  
   49         That May 2017 is recognized as “Cystic Fibrosis Awareness
   50  Month” in Florida.