00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1                                                                   
01 Designating May 2011 as Lupus Awareness Month.                                                                          
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS, according to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus is an acute,                                     
04 chronic, and often lifelong disease affecting the immune system by causing inflammation and                             
05 tissue damage; and                                                                                                      
06       WHEREAS major gaps exist in the understanding of the causes and consequences of                                 
07 lupus; and                                                                                                              
08       WHEREAS lupus can affect any body part, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidney,                               
09 and brain; and                                                                                                          
10       WHEREAS lupus can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ                               
11 failures; and                                                                                                           
12       WHEREAS anyone may develop lupus for reasons that are not understood; and                                       
13       WHEREAS lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age; and                                                     
14       WHEREAS women of color develop lupus at a rate two to three times the rate that                                 
15 Caucasians develop lupus; and                                                                                           
16       WHEREAS lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are                                

01 similar to the symptoms of other illnesses; and                                                                         
02       WHEREAS new drugs have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug                                     
03 Administration for lupus during the last 50 years; and                                                                  
04       WHEREAS current treatment for lupus can have damaging side effects; and                                         
05       WHEREAS the Lupus Foundation of America designates National Lupus Awareness                                     
06 Month to show support for the estimated 1,500,000 Americans who suffer from lupus; and                                  
07       WHEREAS more than 3,000 cases of lupus have been diagnosed in Alaska in patients                                
08 10 to 87 years of age; and                                                                                              
09       WHEREAS 10 members of the Lupus Foundation of America, Alaska Chapter,                                          
10 recently passed away from lupus;                                                                                        
11       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates May 2011 as Lupus                                   
12 Awareness Month; and be it                                                                                              
13       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the people of                                     
14 the state to observe Lupus Awareness Month with appropriate activities to increase awareness                            
15 of lupus and show support for people diagnosed with the disease.