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91_SR0156
SRS91SR0025ABsa
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, 49 states have reported over 124,000 cases of
3 Lyme disease since 1980, with the actual number of cases
4 closer to millions of people across the country; and
5 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne and
6 vector-borne disease - representing more than 90% of such
7 cases; and
8 WHEREAS, people infected with the disease live in every
9 state in the Union; and
10 WHEREAS, the largest economic study of Lyme disease by
11 the Lyme Disease Foundation, Society of Actuaries, and New
12 York University Stem School of Business shows direct and
13 indirect costs of Lyme disease to American society are over a
14 billion dollars per year; and
15 WHEREAS, this study showed that medical bills for Lyme
16 disease treatment was only 50% of the total costs incurred;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, this study showed patients with serious disease
19 cost an average of $70,000 per case and took an average of 5
20 physicians to get diagnosed - the same number of visits as
21 those patients whose symptoms include the telltale Lyme rash;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, patients' symptoms can include mental anguish,
24 lost work time, lost school time, disruption in marital
25 relationship, and death; and
26 WHEREAS, the manifestations of early disease may be mild
27 flu-like symptoms and/or an enlarging rash and may first show
28 up as serious late disseminated disease; and
29 WHEREAS, untreated Lyme disease can affect every body
30 system, causing serious, and sometimes permanent, damage to
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1 the brain, joints, heart, eyes, liver, spleen, blood vessels,
2 and kidneys; and
3 WHEREAS, Lyme disease bacteria can cross the placenta and
4 possibly affect fetal development; and
5 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is spread primarily by the bite of
6 a tick infected with the bacterium Borrella burgdorferi; and
7 WHEREAS, infected ticks can be carried into
8 out-of-habitat areas by a wide variety of animals and birds,
9 and infect people in those areas; and
10 WHEREAS, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are
11 bound by no seasonal limitations - ticks transmit the
12 diseases year-round, and patients suffer year-round; and
13 WHEREAS, Lyme disease-carrying ticks can be found across
14 the country - in woods, parks, beaches, and yards; and
15 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is most easily treated as soon as
16 the tick bite or symptoms occur, and is more difficult to
17 treat if not discovered before dissemination occurs, and for
18 some may not be curable; and
19 WHEREAS, pets (cats, dogs) and livestock (cows, horses,
20 goats) can also be infected with Lyme disease as well as
21 other tick-borne disorders; and
22 WHEREAS, Lyme disease imitates other conditions and is
23 therefore often misdiagnosed; and
24 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose because
25 there is no reliable test that can prove who is infected or
26 prove a patient has become bacteria-free; and
27 WHEREAS, Lyme disease was first described in Germany in
28 1883, the first US-acquired case was described by a Wisconsin
29 physician in 1970; and
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1 WHEREAS, the best solution to the disease is prevention
2 through awareness; and
3 WHEREAS, awareness through education is essential to
4 making the general public, healthcare professionals,
5 employers, and insurers more knowledgeable about the
6 seriousness of tick-borne diseases and more compassionate
7 toward patients and their families; and
8 WHEREAS, people need to conduct prevention techniques to
9 prevent other tick transmitted diseases, such as
10 ehrlichiosis, babesiosia, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted
11 fever, tick paralysis, Colorado tick fever, and relapsing
12 fever; and
13 WHEREAS, the best prevention against these diseases is
14 tick-reduction property management, tick-bite prevention, and
15 proper tick removal; and
16 WHEREAS, prevention measures can significantly help
17 reduce the number of people who have the disease, no one
18 control method offers a perfect solution to all tick spread
19 diseases; and
20 WHEREAS, Illinois has had 220 reported cases, which is
21 only a fraction of the people affected by the disease in this
22 state; and
23 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
24 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, That May is declared Lyme
25 Disease Awareness Month. And, be it resolved that
26 organizations and support groups that help educate the public
27 regarding prevention, early detection, and management of the
28 aforementioned diseases are honored for their efforts; and
29 RESOLVED, that Willy Burgdorfer, PhD, MD (hon), a Montana
30 researcher who is Scientist Emeritus of the National
31 Institutes of Health and founding board member of the first
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1 organization dedicated to Lyme disease - the Lyme Disease
2 Foundation - is honored for his discovery of the causative
3 agent of Lyme disease and his dedication to improving Public
4 Health.