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HOUSE RESOLUTION


2 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a growing national public health 
3crisis; and

4 WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public 
5Health, cases are on the rise in Illinois; and

6 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by 
7several different strains of bacteria that are carried and 
8spread by ticks; and

9 WHEREAS, Those who are bitten by ticks and subsequently 
10become infected with Lyme disease suffer from fever, fatigue, 
11joint pain, and skin rashes and, in the most severe cases, can 
12be afflicted by serious joint and nervous system problems; and

13 WHEREAS, In the United States, 35,000 to 45,000 cases of 
14Lyme disease are reported to the Federal Centers for Disease 
15Control and Prevention (CDC) each year; the actual number of 
16diagnosed cases is closer to 476,000 annually as it is 
17estimated that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease 
18is reported; and

19 WHEREAS, Since the late 20th century, there has been a 
20dramatic increase in the Lyme disease infection rate each 
 
 
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1year; Lyme disease infection rates have doubled since 1991 
2from 3.74 cases per 100,000 to 7.95 cases per 100,000; Lyme 
3disease is one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in 
4the United States and the western world; and

5 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose; diagnostic 
6tests analyze blood samples to look for the presence of 
7antibodies, an immune response that may not be detectable in 
8the blood until many weeks after the initial tick bite and 
9infection; and

10 WHEREAS, Up to 60 percent of acute cases of Lyme disease 
11are misdiagnosed; and

12 WHEREAS, Those who are diagnosed with the disease early 
13and prescribed sufficient quantities of antibiotics may 
14recover quickly; and

15 WHEREAS, If the diagnosis is delayed or individuals are 
16treated with insufficient antibiotics therapy, many experience 
17late-stage symptoms that become chronic; and

18 WHEREAS, A diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease for those who 
19are not cured by antibiotics and who continue to suffer the 
20apparent effects of the disease is controversial; and

 
 
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1 WHEREAS, The newest research seemingly validates the 
2diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease and suggests that heretofore 
3unknown bacterial persister cells remain dormant in the body, 
4evading antibiotics and the immune system, before reinfecting 
5the individual after the standard course of antibiotics has 
6been taken; and

7 WHEREAS, Those who suffer from chronic Lyme disease 
8experience terrible symptoms and often have difficulty finding 
9treatment or answers; many are unable to continue working; and

10 WHEREAS, Public funding for Lyme disease research receives 
11less than two percent of the funding allocated for researching 
12West Nile virus and less than 0.2 percent of the funding that 
13HIV/AIDS research receives, despite Lyme disease having annual 
14case counts that dwarf those of both diseases; therefore, be 
15it

16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
17HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
18we urge the federal government to allocate more funding toward 
19finding a cure for the devastating and increasingly prevalent 
20public health crisis that is Lyme disease; and be it further

21 RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of 
22Education to begin health education to prevent tick bites for 
 
 
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1children who represent the highest risk group for tick-borne 
2diseases; and be it further