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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a growing national public health
3crisis; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by
5several different strains of bacteria that are carried and
6spread by ticks; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Those who are bitten by ticks and subsequently
8become infected with Lyme disease suffer from fever, fatigue,
9joint pain, and skin rashes and, in the most severe cases, can
10be afflicted by serious joint and nervous system problems; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In the United States, 35,000 to 45,000 cases of
12Lyme disease are reported to the Federal Centers for Disease
13Control (CDC) each year; the actual number of diagnosed cases
14is closer to 450,000 annually, as it is estimated that only one
15out of every ten cases of Lyme disease is reported; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Since the late 20th century, there has been a
17dramatic increase in the Lyme disease infection rate each year;
18Lyme disease infection rates have doubled since 1991, from 3.74
19cases per 100,000 to 7.95 cases per 100,000; Lyme disease is
20one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United
21States and the Western world; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose; diagnostic
2tests analyze blood samples to look for the presence of
3antibodies, an immune response that may not be detectable in
4the blood until many weeks after the initial tick bite and
5infection; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Up to 60 percent of acute cases of Lyme disease
7are misdiagnosed; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Those who are diagnosed with the disease early and
9prescribed sufficient quantities of antibiotics may recover
10quickly; and
 
11    WHEREAS, If the diagnosis is delayed or individuals are
12treated with insufficient antibiotics therapy, many experience
13late-stage symptoms that become chronic; and
 
14    WHEREAS, A diagnosis of Chronic Lyme disease for those who
15are not cured by antibiotics and who continue to suffer the
16apparent effects of the disease is controversial; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The newest research seemingly validates the
18diagnosis of Chronic Lyme disease and suggests that heretofore
19unknown bacterial persister cells remain dormant in the body,
20evading antibiotics and the immune system, before reinfecting

 

 

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1the individual after the standard course of antibiotics has
2been taken; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Those who suffer from Chronic Lyme disease
4experience terrible symptoms and often have difficulty finding
5treatment or answers; many are unable to continue working; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Public funding for Lyme disease research receives
7less than two percent of the funding allocated for researching
8West Nile virus and less than 0.2 percent of the funding that
9HIV/AIDS research receives, despite Lyme disease having annual
10case counts that dwarf both diseases; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we urge the Federal government to allocate more funding toward
14finding a cure for the devastating and increasingly prevalent
15public health crisis that is Lyme disease; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we declare May 2019 as Lyme Disease
17Awareness Month in the State of Illinois.