Declare Lyme Awareness Month

Assembly Resolution No. 446 BY: M. of A. Barrett MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, The health and well-being of the citizens of the State of New York are of paramount importance to this Legislative Body; and WHEREAS, Lyme Disease is a common but frequently misunderstood illness that, if not caught early and treated properly, can cause serious health problems; and WHEREAS, According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health, Lyme disease was identified and named in 1977, when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut; and WHEREAS, The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) designated Lyme disease as a nationally notifiable disease in January of

1991; and WHEREAS, Lyme disease, found in approximately 65 countries worldwide, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans and animals through the bite of an infected black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, commonly called the deer tick; and WHEREAS, There are more than a dozen tick-borne illnesses in the United States, in addition to Lyme disease; one tick may carry more than one disease resulting in people receiving more than one "co-infection" from a single tick bite; and WHEREAS, It is difficult to diagnose co-infections because symptoms are very common, but co-infections generally result in a more severe illness, with more symptoms and a longer recovery period; and WHEREAS, Those with Lyme and other tick borne diseases can present symptoms that mimic and can sometimes be misdiagnosed as mental illness, depression, nutritional deficiencies or Alzheimer's disease; and WHEREAS, Infected ticks normally live on deer and mice and the majority of tick bites occur in the summer months when ticks are most active, and when more people are enjoying the outdoors; and WHEREAS, According to the CDC, Lyme disease is found most frequently in the upper Midwest and Northeast United States; in 2014, 96% of Lyme disease cases were reported from 14 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin; and WHEREAS, In 2013, the federal CDC estimated that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year while only 30,000 cases of the disease are actually reported; and WHEREAS, Since Lyme disease became reportable in 1986, there has been over 95,000 confirmed cases in New York; and WHEREAS, Over a 13 year period, Lyme disease was the listed cause of death of nine New York residents outside of New York City, with five victims from the mid-Hudson Valley region; and WHEREAS, The current method of diagnosis recommended by the CDC is a two-tiered testing approach, however, it will only test correctly

85-100% of the time, resulting in roughly 20% false negative results; and WHEREAS, Lyme disease is hard to diagnose because the most common sign individuals and doctors look for when determining if one contracted Lyme disease is a red bulls eye rash surrounding the tick bite ("Erythema Migrans"); however, this rash does not appear in a quarter of Lyme disease cases; the other indications of this disease are common flu-like symptoms and joint pain, which often lead to misdiagnosis; and WHEREAS, The Senate Majority Coalition created the Task Force on Lyme and Tick Borne Diseases to examine state and federal efforts to combat the continued spread of these diseases and make recommendations for a plan to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment; and WHEREAS, With the arrival of Spring, more people will enjoy the outdoors and come into contact with ticks; the observance of Lyme Disease Awareness Month provides an opportunity for the State of New York to focus on and bring awareness of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases to its citizens; and WHEREAS, Lyme Disease Awareness Month provides an opportunity to focus on this significant and complex disease, to provide information on and raise public awareness of its causes, effects and treatments, and to underscore important education and research efforts surrounding Lyme and tick-borne diseases; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.