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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 and Prevention (CDC) each year; the actual number of
14diagnosed cases is closer to 450,000 annually, as it is
15estimated that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease
16is reported; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Since the late 20th century, there has been a
18dramatic increase in the Lyme disease infection rate each year;
19Lyme disease infection rates have doubled since 1991, from 3.74
20cases per 100,000 to 7.95 cases per 100,000; Lyme disease is
21one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United

 

 

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

 

 

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1evading antibiotics and the immune system, before reinfecting
2the individual after the standard course of antibiotics has
3been taken; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Those who suffer from chronic Lyme disease
5experience terrible symptoms and often have difficulty finding
6treatment or answers; many are unable to continue working; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Public funding for Lyme disease research receives
8less than two percent of the funding allocated for researching
9West Nile virus and less than 0.2 percent of the funding that
10HIV/AIDS research receives, despite Lyme disease having annual
11case counts that dwarf those of both diseases; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we urge the federal government to allocate more funding toward
15finding a cure for the devastating and increasingly prevalent
16public health crisis that is Lyme disease; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we declare May 2020 as Lyme Disease
18Awareness Month in the State of Illinois.