Reed Urges National Strategy to Combat Lyme Disease

Statement

As health experts predict an increase in Lyme disease cases this summer, U.S. Senator Jack Reed is calling for a national strategy to combat the disease and expand federal research efforts to increase surveillance and prevention.

Today, Reed joined with several Senate colleagues in introducing the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015. The bill aims to help ensure the necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases throughout the country. It would place greater federal focus on research, education, and outreach to individuals and families, and coordination among health professionals and government agencies.

"Lyme disease is a serious health problem and for too long it has been a health mystery. We need a national strategy that includes boosting federal research and coordination to help prevent Lyme disease and strengthen surveillance of tick-borne illnesses. We also want to ensure doctors and nurses have the latest tools and training they need to properly diagnose and treat patients," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, who last year helped secure $23 million for NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for Lyme Disease research grants. "Raising awareness and advancing research and surveillance are vital to our efforts to eradicate suffering from Lyme disease and other infectious diseases."

Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed annually in the U.S.

Rhode Island has a higher incidence of Lyme disease than the national average. And even after the snowy winter across New England, tick populations are exploding in the Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic, according to AccuWeather.com.

Source