expansion of Lyme disease across the United States; and
WHEREAS, The CDC study reports a disproportionate increase
among children and recommends a Public Health Action to call for
an increase in targeted prevention strategies, tick avoidance,
early disease recognition and early treatment interventions; and
WHEREAS, In August 2013, the CDC released a report stating
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 six years, Pennsylvania ranked highest
in the country in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease;
and
WHEREAS, In 2016, Pennsylvania confirmed 11,443 cases, which
translates to 114,430 new cases, accounting for 38% of the
nation's cases of Lyme disease; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, the Department of Environmental Protection
published a study that confirmed a high risk of Lyme disease in
every county of this Commonwealth, as 67 counties had the
blacklegged tick, verifying that every Pennsylvanian, from
Philadelphia to Erie, must take precautions to prevent the
spread of Lyme disease; and
WHEREAS, The most common way to acquire Lyme disease and
other tick-borne diseases is to be bitten by a tick that carries
the spirochete and, potentially, other infections; 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
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