Res. No. 1395

Resolution recognizing May as Lupus Awareness Month in the city of New York.

By Council Members Gibson, Rosenthal, Perkins, Ayala, Ampry-Samuel and Barron

                     Whereas, Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and pain in any part of the body, most commonly impacting the skin, joints and internal organs; and

                     Whereas, There are a number of types of lupus, including cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus and neonatal lupus, however, when people generally talk about lupus, they are usually talking about systemic lupus; and

                     Whereas, Because lupus can impact any part of the body and is an autoimmune disease, meaning that a person’s immune system is actually attacking healthy tissue, a wide range of acute and chronic symptoms can occur, including extreme fatigue, headaches, painful joints, fever, hair loss, anemia, abnormal blood clotting and mouth or nose ulcers; and 

                     Whereas, In addition to the health impacts of lupus, the disease also carries large economic impacts, with some studies estimating the mean annual total costs for people with lupus (combining direct and indirect costs) being as high as $50,000; and

                     Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), lupus is relatively uncommon, difficult to diagnose, not a reportable disease and thus, is expensive to reliably track and count all diagnosed cases for epidemiologic studies; and

                     Whereas, Despite challenges in accurately tracking and counting the number of cases, the Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million Americans and at least five million people worldwide have some form of lupus, with women of childbearing age and women of color being disproportionately impacted; and

                     Whereas, In New York City (NYC), the most accurate estimates of the number of cases of lupus, although only counting those residing in Manhattan, comes from the Manhattan Lupus Surveillance Program (MLSP), a collaboration between NYU Langone Health and NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with supportive funding from the CDC; and

Whereas, The MLSP’s research, first published in September of 2017, reviewed medical records from 2007 through 2009 of Manhattan residents and estimated that overall lupus prevalence rates per 100,000 cases per year by race were: White 51.4 cases; Black 133.1 cases; Hispanic 84.6 cases and Asian 75.5 cases; and

Whereas, According to MLSP investigators, its findings emphasize the need for improvements in the diagnosis of lupus in the aforementioned demographic groups and will help support future efforts to expand awareness and improve access to care for those at risk of lupus; and

Whereas, According to the Lupus Foundation of America, May is recognized as Lupus Awareness Month nationwide, with World Lupus Day occurring on May 10, and Put on Purple Day occurring on May 15, which is an effort to wear purple and encourage awareness around lupus; and

Whereas, As a 2019 survey conducted by the Lupus Foundation of America shows that 63% of Americans surveyed have never heard of lupus or know little or nothing about the disease, and as NYC residents are impacted by lupus, the month of May should be recognized as Lupus Awareness Month throughout the city in an effort to increase awareness, educate the public about lupus and its impacts and ensure that proper funding is provided for critical research, programs and services related to lupus; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the city of New York recognizes May as Lupus Awareness Month in the city of New York.

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LS 14216

5/11/20