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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 19, 2014 11:21 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Matthew E. Baker |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Lyme Disease Awareness Month |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce a resolution designating May 2014 as Lyme 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 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. 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. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Lyme disease will increasingly become a public health threat in the United States. In August 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (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 2009 and 2011, Pennsylvania ranked highest in the country in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease. From 2002 to 2011, Pennsylvania has reported a total 42,032 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease. Please consider joining me in co-sponsorship of this resolution. |
Introduced as HR757