LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim May 2014 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New
York

WHEREAS, The health and well-being of the citizens of the State of New
York is of paramount importance to this Legislative Body; and
WHEREAS, The occurrence of Lyme Disease in New York State is high;
from 2003 to 2012, New York had the second highest number of total
reported cases of Lyme Disease in the United States, 25 percent higher
than New Jersey, the state with the third-highest number of total
reported cases; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease is a common but frequently misunderstood illness
that, if not caught early and treated properly, can cause serious health
problems; and
WHEREAS, According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health, Lyme
Disease was identified and named in 1977, when arthritis was observed in
a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut; and
WHEREAS, The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
designated Lyme Disease as a nationally notifiable disease in January of
1991; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the
United States; however this disease does not occur nationwide and is
concentrated heavily in the Northeast and upper Midwest; it is caused by
the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi, which is transmitted to
the human bloodstream by the bite of various species of ticks; and
WHEREAS, Children aged 5 to 9 and adults in their 50s and 60s experi-
ence the highest occurrence of Lyme Disease; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease can cause early symptoms such as rash and flu-
like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught early;
the disease often goes undetected because it mimics other illnesses or
may be misdiagnosed; untreated, Lyme Disease can lead to severe heart,
neurological, eye, and joint problems because the bacteria can affect
many different organs and organ systems; and
WHEREAS, The best protection against Lyme Disease is to wear light-co-
lored clothing when outdoors and to check one's self carefully for ticks
when going back inside; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease accounts for 90 percent of all vector-borne
infections in the United States; the ticks that spread Lyme Disease also
spread other diseases, such as ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and other
strains of Borrelia; all of these diseases in one patient makes diagno-
sis and treatment more difficult; and
WHEREAS, During 2012, a total of 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease were
reported in the United States; the CDC indicates that the actual number
of reported cases of Lyme Disease that meet the CDC criteria is 10 times
the amount reported, bringing the actual number of cases that meet the
CDC criteria to 300,000 for 2012; and
WHEREAS, Lyme Disease Month provides an opportunity to focus on this
significant and complex disease, to provide information on and raise
public awareness of its causes, effects and treatments, and to under-
score important education and research efforts surrounding Lyme and
tick-borne diseases; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2014 as Lyme
Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.