Bill Text: NY K00719 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2022, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2022-04-04 - adopted [K00719 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-K00719-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 719

BY: M. of A. Barrett

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        April 2022, 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 of other
common illnesses; and

  WHEREAS, Those with Lyme and other tick borne diseases  can  present
symptoms  that are sometimes 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  Kathy  Hochul  to  proclaim  April  2022, 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 Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.