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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a growing national public health
3		crisis; and
4		WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public
5		Health, cases are on the rise in Illinois; and
6		WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by
7		several different strains of bacteria that are carried and
8		spread by ticks; and
9		WHEREAS, Those who are bitten by ticks and subsequently
10		become infected with Lyme disease suffer from fever, fatigue,
11		joint pain, and skin rashes and, in the most severe cases, can
12		be afflicted by serious joint and nervous system problems; and
13		WHEREAS, In the United States, 35,000 to 45,000 cases of
14		Lyme disease are reported to the Federal Centers for Disease
15		Control and Prevention (CDC) each year; the actual number of
16		diagnosed cases is closer to 476,000 annually as it is
17		estimated that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease
18		is reported; and
19		WHEREAS, Since the late 20th century, there has been a
20		dramatic increase in the Lyme disease infection rate each

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1		year; Lyme disease infection rates have doubled since 1991
2		from 3.74 cases per 100,000 to 7.95 cases per 100,000; Lyme
3		disease is one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in
4		the United States and the western world; and
5		WHEREAS, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose; diagnostic
6		tests analyze blood samples to look for the presence of
7		antibodies, an immune response that may not be detectable in
8		the blood until many weeks after the initial tick bite and
9		infection; and
10		WHEREAS, Up to 60 percent of acute cases of Lyme disease
11		are misdiagnosed; and
12		WHEREAS, Those who are diagnosed with the disease early
13		and prescribed sufficient quantities of antibiotics may
14		recover quickly; and
15		WHEREAS, If the diagnosis is delayed or individuals are
16		treated with insufficient antibiotics therapy, many experience
17		late-stage symptoms that become chronic; and
18		WHEREAS, A diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease for those who
19		are not cured by antibiotics and who continue to suffer the
20		apparent effects of the disease is controversial; and

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1		WHEREAS, The newest research seemingly validates the
2		diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease and suggests that heretofore
3		unknown bacterial persister cells remain dormant in the body,
4		evading antibiotics and the immune system, before reinfecting
5		the individual after the standard course of antibiotics has
6		been taken; and
7		WHEREAS, Those who suffer from chronic Lyme disease
8		experience terrible symptoms and often have difficulty finding
9		treatment or answers; many are unable to continue working; and
10		WHEREAS, Public funding for Lyme disease research receives
11		less than two percent of the funding allocated for researching
12		West Nile virus and less than 0.2 percent of the funding that
13		HIV/AIDS research receives, despite Lyme disease having annual
14		case counts that dwarf those of both diseases; therefore, be
15		it
16		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18		we urge the federal government to allocate more funding toward
19		finding a cure for the devastating and increasingly prevalent
20		public health crisis that is Lyme disease; and be it further
21		RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of
22		Education to begin health education to prevent tick bites for

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1		children who represent the highest risk group for tick-borne
2		diseases; and be it further