(410 ILCS 450/5)
Sec. 5. Findings.
The General Assembly finds and declares the following:
(1) Lyme disease, a bacterial disease transmitted |
| by infected ticks, was first recognized in the United States in 1975 after a mysterious outbreak of arthritis near Old Lyme, Connecticut. Since then, reports of Lyme disease have increased dramatically, and the disease has become an important public health concern.
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(2) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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| states that the reported Lyme disease cases are numbered at 30,000 a year in the United States, but the actual burden of Lyme disease may actually be as high as 300,000 cases a year throughout the United States.
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(3) The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease can
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| vary greatly from one person to another, and symptoms can also vary with the length of time a person has been infected. The initial symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to those of more common diseases, such as a flu-like illness without a cough or mononucleosis; it may or may not present Erythema Migrans, a "bulls eye" marking, which is the most common identifiable mark for Lyme disease, and many infected persons do not recall a tick bite; further symptoms can develop over time, including fever, severe headache, stiff neck, certain heart irregularities, temporary paralysis of facial muscles, pain with numbness or weakness in arms or legs, loss of concentration or memory problems, and, most commonly, Lyme arthritis.
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(4) Not all ticks carry the bacterium of Lyme
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| disease, and a bite does not always result in the development of Lyme disease. However, since it is impossible to tell by sight which ticks are infected, it is important to avoid tick bites whenever possible and to perform regular tick checks when traversing in tick-infested areas of the United States, any wooded areas, or any areas with tall grass and weeds. A person should seek assistance for early identification and treatment when Lyme disease symptoms or other tick-borne illness is suspected.
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(5) Because Lyme disease is a complex illness,
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| there is a continuous need to increase funding for Lyme disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In 2015, the first major research program devoted to the causes and cures of Lyme disease was established at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine as the Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center.
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(6) Initial funding from federal grants has
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| provided for research known as the Study of Lyme Disease Immunology and Clinical Events. The federal 21st Century Cures Act created a working group within the United States Department of Health and Human Services to improve outcomes of Lyme disease and to develop a plan for improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. However, there is still a need for more research on Lyme disease and efforts to promote awareness of its signs and symptoms, such as work with entomologists and veterinary epidemiologist whose current focus is on tick-borne infections and their distribution in the State of Illinois.
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(7) People treated with appropriate antibiotics in
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| the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely. The National Institutes of Health has funded several studies on the treatment of Lyme disease that show most people recover when treated with antibiotics taken by mouth within a few weeks. In a small percentage of cases, symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches can last for more than 6 months. Physicians sometimes describe patients who have non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, and joint and muscle aches, after the treatment of Lyme disease as having post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or post Lyme disease syndrome. The cause of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome is not known.
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(8) Co-infections by other tick-borne illnesses
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| may complicate and lengthen the course of treatment.
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(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19.)
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(410 ILCS 450/10)
Sec. 10. Lyme Disease Prevention, Detection, and Outreach Program.
(a) The Department of Public Health shall establish a Lyme Disease Prevention, Detection, and Outreach Program. The Department shall continue to study the population of ticks carrying Lyme disease and the number of people infected in Illinois to provide data to the public on the incidence of acute Lyme disease and locations of exposure in Illinois by county. The Department shall partner with the University of Illinois to publish tick identification and testing data on the Department's website and work to expand testing to areas where new human cases are identified. The Department shall require health care professionals and laboratories to report acute Lyme disease cases within the time frame required under the Control of Communicable Diseases Code to the local health department. To coordinate this program, the Department shall continue to support a vector-borne disease epidemiologist coordinator who is responsible for overseeing the program. The Department shall train local health departments to respond to inquiries from the public.
(b) In addition to its overall effort to prevent acute disease in Illinois, in order to raise awareness about and promote prevention of Lyme disease, the program shall include:
(1) a designated webpage with publicly accessible and |
| up-to-date information about the prevention, detection, and treatment of Lyme disease;
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(2) peer-reviewed scientific research articles;
(3) government guidance and recommendations of the
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| federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Guideline Clearinghouse under the Department of Health and Human Services, and any other persons or entities determined by the Lyme Disease Task Force to have particular expertise on Lyme disease;
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(4) information for physicians, other health care
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| professionals and providers, and other persons subject to an increased risk of contracting Lyme disease; and
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(5) educational materials on the diagnosis,
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| treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses for physicians and other health care professionals and providers in multiple formats.
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(c) The Department shall prepare a report of all efforts under this Act, and the report shall be posted on the Department's website and distributed to the Lyme Disease Task Force and the General Assembly annually. The report to the General Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall direct.
(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19.)
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(410 ILCS 450/15) Sec. 15. Lyme Disease Task Force; duties; members. (a) The Department shall establish the Lyme Disease Task Force to advise the Department on disease prevention and surveillance and provider and public education relating to the disease.
(b) The Task Force shall consist of the Director of Public Health or a designee, who shall serve as chairman, and the following members:
(1) one representative from the Department of |
| Financial and Professional Regulation, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
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(2) 3 physicians licensed to practice medicine in all
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| its branches who are members of a statewide organization representing physicians, one of whom represents a medical school faculty and one of whom has the experience of treating Lyme disease, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
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(3) one advanced practice registered nurse selected
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| from the recommendations of professional nursing associations, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
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(4) one local public health administrator, appointed
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| by the Director of Public Health;
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(5) one veterinarian, who must be a practicing Doctor
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| of Veterinary Medicine, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
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(6) one medical entomologist, appointed by the
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| Director of Public Health;
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(7) 4 members of the public interested in Lyme
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| disease, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
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(8) 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House
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(9) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
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| House of Representatives;
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(10) 2 members appointed by the President of the
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(11) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of
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(c) The terms of the members of the Task Force shall be 3 years. Members may continue to serve after the expiration of a term until a new member is appointed. Each member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. The council shall meet as frequently as the chairman deems necessary, but not less than 4 times each year. Members shall receive no compensation for their services.
(d) The Lyme Disease Task Force has the following duties and responsibilities:
(1) monitoring the implementation of this Act and
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| providing feedback and input for necessary additions or modifications;
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(2) reviewing relevant literature and guidelines
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| that define accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease with the purpose of creating cohesive and consistent guidelines for the determination of Lyme diagnosis across all counties in Illinois and with the intent of providing accurate and relevant numbers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
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(3) providing recommendations on professional
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| continuing educational materials and opportunities that specifically focus on Lyme disease prevention, protection, and treatment; and
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(4) assisting the Department in establishing
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| policies, procedures, techniques, and criteria for the collection, maintenance, exchange, and sharing of medical information on Lyme disease, and identifying persons or entities with Lyme disease expertise to collaborate with Department in Lyme disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.
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(Source: P.A. 103-328, eff. 1-1-24.)
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