With Lyme Disease Active for the First Time in Jefferson County, Schumer Pushes New Legislation
With Lyme Disease Active For The First Time In Jefferson County, Schumer Pushes New Legislation
Ticks Have Become More Prevalent In North County - Lyme Disease Investigations Up Nearly 60 Percent This Year In Upstate New York
Schumer Pushes For Immediate Passage Of New Bipartisan Legislation Funding Prevention, Education, Research
With Lyme disease active in Jefferson County for the first time, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today pushed for immediate passage of new bipartisan legislation that would fund prevention, education and research for Lyme disease. In Upstate New York, Lyme disease investigations are up nearly 60 percent this year. In July, 2005, there had only been 629 investigations of Lyme disease in all of upstate, but as of July 1, 2006, there had already been 994. Other tick-borne illnesses, including ehrlichiosis and babesios, are also spreading.
"Lyme disease is a problem we've seen for decades, but we haven't done nearly enough at the federal level to tackle it," Schumer said. "Funding research for a disease that impacts millions of Americans should not be a Herculean task. The time is now to substantially increase federal funding for research, educating families, treatment, and promoting prevention. With milder winters and the rain from this summer, the North Country is more vulnerable than ever to ticks and tick-borne diseases. We need to do more to combat this sooner rather than later."
To combat the rise in Lyme disease cases in the North County, Schumer announced that he is kick-starting a new push to pass the Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act, (S. 1479). Specifically, the bill would:
Authorize $100 million over five years to increase and coordinate federal prevention, treatment and research of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, including developing sensitive and accurate diagnostics for tick-borne diseases and increasing public education for such diseases. Provide $250,000 over two years to establish a Department of Health and Human Services advisory committee to facilitate communication between federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and members of the community (including patient organizations, doctors and scientists), as they attempt to raise awareness, treat, and cure tick-borne diseases. Additionally, the committee would compile state and local data to improve information about the Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
Schumer also said that there is a new type of tick that called the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma Americanum) which is one of the most aggressive ticks and actually will pursue a potential human host from 30 to 40 feet away. Though it has not appeared in the North County, according to the Lyme Disease Association, the Lone Star tick, typically found in the South, is migrating in to the Northeast. The Lone Star tick can infect a person with a Lyme-like disease with symptoms similar to and as serious as regular Lyme disease. A bite from a Lone Star tick can cause a skin rash as well as neurological and arthritic ailments.
Schumer announced he is urging federal health officials to investigate the rise in the Lone Star tick in New York possible health effects on the region. In a letter to CDC's director Julie Gerberding, Schumer wrote, "I urge you to investigate the migration of the Lone Star tick to the inland areas of the Northeast and to analyze the health implications of the Lone Star tick's increased presence in New York State."
Lyme disease, though highly curable if it is detected in its early stages, is difficult to diagnose as its symptoms are similar to the common flu. The "bull's eye" rash that accompanies infection of the disease at the site of the tick bite often goes undetected especially on darker skin tones, and there is no reliable blood test for the disease. In addition, there is no vaccine, and medical authorities disagree over how to treat the illness, particularly when it persists after short-term antibiotic treatment.
http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262655&&year=2006&