Bill Text: NY J00794 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2019, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 40-22)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-07 - ADOPTED [J00794 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J00794-Introduced.html

Senate Resolution No. 794

BY: Senator SERINO

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        May  2019,  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 2015, 95% of Lyme
disease cases were  reported  from  14  states:  Connecticut,  Delaware,
Maine,  Maryland,  Massachusetts,  Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
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,  Lyme  disease  became reportable in New York State in 1986
and there have been approximately 50,000 reported cases of Lyme  disease
in the state between 2008 and 2017; 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, 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  2019,  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.
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