Resolution on Public Education of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Exposed

The Resolution on Public Education of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was approved by ALEC's Health and Human Services Task Force on July 20, 2006. ALEC has attempted to distance itself from this piece of legislation after the launch of ALECexposed.org in 2011, but it has done nothing to get it repealed in the states where it previously pushed for it to be made into law.

ALEC Resolution Text

WHEREAS, in the United States, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) disease is the most frequent cause for hospitalizations of children under one year of age; and

WHEREAS, RSV is a highly-contagious disease which can be controlled with better education of parents, day-care workers, and health professionals; and

WHEREAS, while infection with this virus generally manifests itself in older children and adults as a mild upper respiratory tract infection, RSV can cause severe and even fatal disease in premature infants and those infants who have other compromising risk factors such as chronic lung disease or hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease; and

WHEREAS, this legislative body encourages active education efforts on the part of {insert name of state public health department} targeted to parents and providers in order to share current information on prevention and treatment of RSV, as well as methods of prophylaxis of RSV in high-risk individuals; and

WHEREAS, this legislative body encourages the importance of preventative activities for children at risk of contracting RSV and prophylaxis for children who are at high risk of complications from the disease;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT this legislative body encourages {insert name of state public health department} to provide information on immunizations to parents and providers, and also provide information on RSV, including the prevention of infection with this virus.

Approved by the Health and Human Services Task Force on July 20, 2006.