Bill Text: NY K00165 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2021, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2021-04-20 - adopted [K00165 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-K00165-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 165

BY: M. of A. Barrett

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        April  2021,  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 the most common vector-borne disease in the
United  States,  affecting  over 300,000 people a year, according to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and

  WHEREAS, Because climate change is causing New  York  to  experience
longer  and  more severe tick seasons, it is necessary to recognize Lyme
Disease Awareness Month in April, rather than May, so the public can  be
educated  earlier  on  the  risks  of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases
(TBDs); 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; 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  a  "co-infection"  from  a
single tick bite; and

  WHEREAS,  Lyme  disease  and its co-infections are generally hard to
diagnose because their symptoms often mimic those of dozens other common
illnesses; and

  WHEREAS, Those with Lyme and other tick borne diseases  can  present
symptoms   that   are  sometimes  be  misdiagnosed  as  mental  illness,
depression, nutritional deficiencies or Alzheimer's disease; and

  WHEREAS, The majority of tick-to-human bites  occur  in  the  warmer
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 Jersey, New Hampshire,
New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and  Wisconsin;
and

  WHEREAS,  Since  the  1990s,  the  number  of Lyme disease cases has
doubled, and in that same period, the number of counties in  the  United
States  identified  as high-risk for Lyme has increased by more than 320
percent; and

  WHEREAS, The current method of diagnosis recommended by the CDC  can
be unreliable because the ELISA and Western Blot are indirect tests, and

can  cause  false  negatives,  according  to  the International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society; and

  WHEREAS,  Lyme  disease  is hard to diagnose because the most common
sign  individuals  and  doctors  look  for  to  determine  if  a  person
contracted  Lyme  disease  is a red bull's-eye rash surrounding the tick
bite ("Erythema Migrans"); however, this rash appears in  less  than  50
percent 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, 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 about 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 April 2021, 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.