Florida Senate - 2019                            (NP)    SR 1858
       
       
        
       By Senator Book
       
       
       
       
       
       32-03128-19                                           20191858__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing the importance of awareness
    3         of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous
    4         strains of the disease, including meningococcal B.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is an infection caused by
    7  the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, or meningococcus, and
    8         WHEREAS, 1 in 10 people are carriers of these bacteria, and
    9  since they do not have any signs or symptoms of disease, may not
   10  know that Neisseria meningitidis can sometimes cause illness,
   11  and
   12         WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is spread from person to
   13  person via the exchange of bacteria through respiratory and
   14  throat secretions during close or lengthy contact, and
   15         WHEREAS, nationwide, 1,000 to 1,200 cases of meningococcal
   16  disease are diagnosed each year, and
   17         WHEREAS, 10 to 15 percent of infected individuals die, and
   18  11 to 19 percent of those who survive suffer from serious
   19  morbidity, including the loss of limbs and impacts to the
   20  nervous system, and
   21         WHEREAS, infants under 1 year of age, as well as young
   22  adults between the ages of 16 and 21, are most commonly impacted
   23  by this disease, and
   24         WHEREAS, there are 12 different strains, or serogroups, of
   25  Neisseria meningitidis, with serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y
   26  accounting for most meningococcal diseases in the United States,
   27  and
   28         WHEREAS, there have been several recent outbreaks of
   29  serogroup B meningococcal disease on college campuses, with some
   30  cases resulting in death, and
   31         WHEREAS, there are vaccines that help provide protection
   32  against all five serogroups commonly seen in the United States,
   33  and
   34         WHEREAS, vaccination for serogroups A, C, W, and Y is
   35  routinely recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and
   36  Prevention (CDC), and
   37         WHEREAS, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization
   38  Practices recommends that decisions to vaccinate adolescents and
   39  young adults ages 16 to 23 against serogroup B meningococcal
   40  disease should be made at the individual level in consultation
   41  with their health care providers, and
   42         WHEREAS, the recent incidences of meningococcal disease
   43  have served as a reminder of the critical role that vaccinations
   44  play in helping to prevent this devastating illness and to
   45  maintain public health, NOW, THEREFORE,
   46  
   47  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   48  
   49         That the Florida Senate recognizes the importance of
   50  awareness of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous
   51  strains of the disease, including meningococcal B.