FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2004
SCHUMER: DUTCHESS COUNTY IS AT THE EPICENTER OF LYME DISEASE
THIS SUMMER – FEDS MUST HELP COMBAT PROBLEM
Dutchess County is 2nd in the nation for incidence of Lyme
disease; More than 1,000 cases have been reported each year in Dutchess
County since 1996
Schumer unveils new 3-point plan to help crack down on the
illness; Plan includes federal money for research and prevention,
targeted education campaign to increase awareness
Dutchess County is at the epicenter of Lyme Disease for the entire
country, US Senator Charles E. Schumer warned today during a visit
in Hopewell Junction to unveil his new plan to tackle the problem.
This summer, thousands of Americans have been infected with Lyme
Disease and other tick-borne illnesses that, improperly diagnosed
or treated, can cause serious life-long handicaps.
“The last thing parents should have to worry about when their
kids play in the backyard is that they’ll contract Lyme Disease
from ticks they may not even be able to see on their child’s
skin,” Schumer said. “We need to start funding the research
and technology needed to better diagnose Lyme Disease and we need
to train residents throughout the region to look for the warning
signs of this horrible disease.”
Lyme Disease, which is spread through ticks the size of a pin point,
is on the rise throughout the United States. The official number
of Lyme Disease cases nationwide rose from 17,029 in 2001 to 23,763
in 2002, a jump of 40% according to the CDC. Lyme Disease is found
in 49 states, but approximately 95% of reported cases are from Pennsylvania,
New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.
The disease is most prevalent in suburban and rural communities
in the Northeast such as Hopewell Junction. Dutchess County is 2nd
only to Columbia County for incidence of Lyme Disease in the country.
More than 1,000 cases have been reported each year in Dutchess County
since 1996.
Lyme Disease, though highly curable if it is detected in its early
stages, is difficult to diagnose as its symptoms are similar to
the common flu. The “bull’s eye” rash that accompanies
infection of the disease at the site of the tick bite often goes
undetected especially on darker skin tones, and there is not a reliable
blood test for the disease. In addition, there is no vaccine, and
medical authorities disagree over how to treat the illness, particularly
when it persists after short-term antibiotic treatment.
Schumer said that the Lyme Disease epidemic has reached a crisis
point in upstate New York and called for federal action to protect
New Yorkers from this disease. To increase Lyme Disease awareness
and improve research for medical diagnostics and treatment of the
disease, Schumer unveiled a new three-point plan: • $10 million
in additional funding for Lyme Disease research and prevention:
Lyme Disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease, accounting
for 90% of reported cases, yet it receives a small fraction of CDC
and NIH spending on those illnesses. Schumer today wrote a letter
to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Labor/Health and Human
Services Appropriations Subcommittee urging them to increase funding
for Lyme Disease prevention and research programs at the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) by $7 million and at the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) by $3 million. The increased funding would
be used to fund several initiatives including the development of
a test to determine who is infected; research into expanded treatment
options; investigation into ways to identify habitats of greatest
risk; broader prevention strategies including biological and chemical
controls to halt the spread of the tick; and education of the public
and physicians, particularly in places where tick-borne diseases
are emerging.
• A new federal Tick-Borne Disorders Advisory Committee:
Schumer is co-sponsoring legislation (S-1527) that would create
the Tick-Borne Disorders Advisory Committee within the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Committee would serve to
monitor trends in the spreading of Lyme Disease and coordinate local
and national efforts to combat the disease. The Committee would
compile local and state data to improve information about the disease.
• Targeted educational campaign: Schumer is also urging the
CDC to launch an awareness campaign educating susceptible people
to the hazards of Lyme Disease and how to avoid it. The campaign
would work with communities afflicted by the disease such as Dutchess
County and especially target communities where the disease is emerging
as a threat. Advertising as well as educational programs for schools
and community groups would be used and all information provided
would be bilingual so that the message reaches the maximum audience.
Schumer was joined today by Pat Smith, president, Lyme Disease
Association, Inc.; Jill Auerbach, chair, Hudson Valley Lyme Disease
Association; Sarah Hale-Rude, Lyme Disease victim; Rich Ostfeld,
an ecologist at the Institute for Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook,
NY; and Peter Idema, Town of East Fishkill Supervisor.
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