Bill Text: MI HCR0007 | 2019-2020 | 100th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: A concurrent resolution to urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to protect the people of Michigan from Lyme disease by improving efforts to prevent, monitor, diagnose, and treat the disease.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)
Status: (Passed) 2020-07-23 - Referred To Committee On Health Policy And Human Services [HCR0007 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2019-HCR0007-Engrossed.html
house concurrent resolution no. 7
Reps. Whitsett, Jones, Eisen, Cherry, Chirkun, Garza, Gay-Dagnogo, Haadsma, Lasinski, Liberati, Shannon and Wittenberg offered the following concurrent resolution:
Whereas, Lyme disease is a serious, tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, resulting in symptoms including headache, fatigue, fever, and the characteristic bullseye rash. If left untreated, the disease can spread throughout the body to joints, the heart, and the nervous system causing arthritis, pain, heart palpitations, and even facial paralysis; and
Whereas, Previously rare in Michigan, Lyme disease is now a growing concern for Michigan residents. The prevalence of Lyme disease in Michigan has expanded rapidly in the past two decades with more than ten times as many cases reported in 2017 than in the early 2000s; and
Whereas, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) definitions of Lyme disease symptoms and recommendations for diagnosing and treating the disease are outdated and need to be updated to improve the ability of health professionals to detect and treat the disease. The misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of Lyme disease have serious consequences for those affected; and
Whereas, A lack of federal funding for Lyme disease research and monitoring hampers Michigan’s ability to prevent and cure the disease. Nearly 80 percent of the conditions and diseases that receive annual funding from the National Institutes of Health receive more than Lyme disease. Additional funding to improve the accuracy and precision of laboratory testing methods would significantly enhance the early detection of Lyme disease in humans; and
Whereas, Additional education and outreach efforts by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services are necessary to better protect the public from the consequences of this disease. It is imperative that health professionals and the public recognize the symptoms of Lyme disease to ensure timely and proper treatment; and
Whereas, A lack of reporting makes it challenging to effectively monitor and address Lyme disease. Since 1991, state and local health departments have been required to report disease cases to the CDC, but of an estimated 300,000 people annually diagnosed, only 30,000 cases are reported; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its definition of Lyme disease symptoms, reconsider standards and best practices for diagnosing and treating the disease, increase funding to prevent and cure the disease, and provide the means for improved laboratory testing to detect Lyme disease; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to improve the techniques that state and local health departments use to report Lyme disease and to provide more resources to educate health professionals and the general public about Lyme disease to support prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
