Lyme and Tick-Borne Disaease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to speak about the issue of Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Fall is a beautiful time of year, especially in Maine, as it is the season for hiking, hunting, and leaf- peeping.

Unfortunately, fall is also tick season and a time of increased risk of Lyme disease.

Each year, 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent CDC data noted that 96 percent of those cases were concentrated in just 14 States in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Maine has one of the highest and fastest growing incident rates of the disease, with cases increasing from 225 in 2004 to 1,169 cases in 2014.

Fall is a time of heightened risk because the immature ticks, or nymphs, that fed heavily during the late spring and early summer have now molted into adults and must feed again. Although larger and easier to spot than the tiny nymphs, they are numerous and active.

Lyme disease was long thought to be a form of juvenile arthritis and was not identified as being spread by ticks until 1976. It is still considered an emerging disease and knowledge gaps remain. For example, diagnostic methods for tick-borne illnesses have not advanced as much as they should have. Consequently, the validity and accuracy of information regarding the incidence and geographic spread of the disease may be lacking. Now, another tick-borne disease called anaplasmosis is emerging, carried by the same blacklegged tick as Lyme disease and with symptoms that are similar in nature but often more severe.

The rapid spread of these diseases is alarming and makes it essential that Federal, State, and local health agencies, public health organizations, and the scientific community work together to improve prevention and detection efforts, as well as to accelerate research to address this crucial public-health challenge. This is the reason why I have cosponsored the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act introduced by Senators Blumenthal and Ayotte, which would help ensure that necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases.

Prevention and treatment are crucial because there are currently no vaccines for Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, or other tick-borne diseases. In order to mount a strong national prevention and treatment effort, the legislation would create a tick- borne diseases committee that would consist of physicians, scientists, public health leaders, health agency officials, patients, and patient advocates. This national advisory body would help bring needed focus to improve reporting methods, better diagnostic tools, and more coordinated efforts from local to Federal levels.

With individual precautions, we all can reduce our risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses and continue to enjoy the outdoors. With a national effort, we can stop the spread of these devastating diseases and protect the health of all. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

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