PRINTER'S NO. 1697

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

No.

338

Session of

2015

INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, BREWSTER, FONTANA, BAKER, WILEY,

ARGALL, DINNIMAN, BROWNE, FARNESE, TEPLITZ, RAFFERTY,

SCHWANK, YUDICHAK, SCAVELLO, WHITE, COSTA, HUTCHINSON,

primarily by ticks and is caused by the spirochete Borrelia

burgdorferi; and

WHEREAS, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases and

disorders, such as babesiosis, Bartonella and ehrlichiosis, pose

a serious threat to the quality of life of many Pennsylvanians,

with the frequency of diagnosed and reported Lyme disease cases

increasing dramatically over the past several years; and

WHEREAS, The most recent 15-year surveillance study of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was

published in 2008, reveals continued emergence and geographic

that preliminary estimates indicate approximately 300,000

Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, and this

amount is approximately 10 times higher than the number of cases

previously reported to the CDC every year; and

WHEREAS, In the last five years, Pennsylvania ranked highest

in the country in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease;

and

WHEREAS, From 2002 to 2014, Pennsylvania reported a total of

59,478 confirmed cases of Lyme disease and in 2015 reported

10,817 new cases with provisional cases to be confirmed later in

disease; and

WHEREAS, The most common way to acquire Lyme and related

diseases is to be bitten by a tick that carries the spirochete;

and

WHEREAS, This disease is not limited to age or ethnic

boundaries; and

WHEREAS, Lyme disease can cause early symptoms, including a

rash or flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headaches

and fatigue, that can easily be misdiagnosed; and

WHEREAS, If not caught early, Lyme disease can lead to

WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth can greatly reduce

their chance of tick pathogen transmission if they take proper

caution while engaged in outdoor activities from early spring

through late fall, as well as during a warmer winter season, and

make frequent tick checks and remove and dispose of ticks

promptly and properly; and

WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth can greatly reduce

the risk of Lyme disease on their properties through landscape,

insecticide and other measures that have been found to be

effective; and

early, disseminated and late/persistent symptoms, and that a

negative Lyme test cannot rule out Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, 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 that

can affect every system and organ of the human body and often

every aspect of a person's life; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of May 2016 as

"Lyme Disease Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania in a continued

effort to benefit the overall health and quality of life of the