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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 19, 2018 11:43 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month |
| I plan to offer a resolution designating May 2018 as “Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted primarily by ticks and is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases such as Babesiosis, Bartonellosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and others, pose a serious threat to the health and quality of life of many Pennsylvanians, with the frequency of diagnosed and reported Lyme disease cases increasing dramatically over the past several years, and severity increasing, including multiple deaths attributable to tick-borne diseases in youth and young adults reported in 2017 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) most recent 15-year surveillance study (October 2008) reveals continued emergence and geographic expansion of Lyme disease across the United States. In August 2013, the CDC released a report that preliminary estimates indicate approximately 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. This is approximately 10 times higher than the number of cases previously reported to the CDC every year. In the last six years, Pennsylvania ranked highest in the country in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease. In 2016, Pennsylvania reported 11,443 cases of Lyme disease, which translates to 114,430 new cases, and about 38% of the nation’s cases in Pennsylvania alone. Further, a 2015 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection study was published confirming a high risk of Lyme disease in every county of the Commonwealth (67 counties had the black legged tick) verifying that every Pennsylvanian, from Philadelphia to Erie, must take precautions to prevent the spread of Lyme disease. The most common way to acquire Lyme disease and related diseases is to be bitten by a tick that carries the spirochete and potentially other infections. This disease is not limited to age or ethnic boundaries. Lyme disease can cause early symptoms such as a rash or flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue that can easily be misdiagnosed. If not caught early, Lyme disease can lead to chronic debilitating illness that is very difficult to eradicate. The prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases is difficult. This spring season individuals can greatly reduce their chance of tick bite and pathogen transmission if they take proper precautions while engaged in outdoor activities and make frequent tick checks and remove and dispose of ticks promptly and properly. Individuals can greatly reduce the risk of Lyme disease on their properties through landscape, insecticide, and other measures found to be effective. Schools can greatly reduce the risk of Lyme and related diseases among schoolchildren through prevention education and precautions, including instruction to parents regarding steps to take before and after school-related activities such as field trips and sports and prompt and proper tick removals and parental/guardian notification of such bites. Individuals should be aware of early, disseminated, and late/persistent symptoms and that a negative Lyme test cannot rule out Lyme disease and may miss approximately 50% of actual cases. The early clinical diagnosis and appropriate treatment of these tick-borne disorders and diseases can greatly reduce the risks of continued, diverse and chronic symptoms which can affect every system and organ of the human body and often every aspect of their lives. Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month provides an opportunity to focus on these significant and complex diseases, to provide information on prevention and personal protection, and to raise public awareness of its causes, effects, potential severity, diagnostic challenges and treatment options, and to underscore important education efforts surrounding Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Please consider co-sponsoring this resolution designating May 2018 as “Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania in a continued effort to benefit the overall health and quality of life of the residents of this Commonwealth by increasing awareness of the threat of tick bites and the potential seriousness of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. |
Introduced as SR349