SENATE RESOLUTION No. 1833, May 1, 2014, Kansas State Capitol, Topeka, KS
A RESOLUTION recognizing that Lyme disease is significantly underdiagnosed in the United States and supporting further Lyme disease research.
WHEREAS, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-transmitted disease in the United States, yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledge that the number of cases reported annually represents only about one-tenth of the true number of cases. Approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are
reported to the CDC by state health departments each year. However, other studies of the disease suggest that the number of people actually diagnosed with Lyme disease each year is around 300,000, leaving approximately 270,000 cases unreported; and
WHEREAS, Lyme disease is most common among boys aged five to 19, with this age group being affected at three times the average rate of all other age groups. Around Senator Carolyn McGinn 25% of all reported cases of Lyme disease are children; and
WHEREAS, Lyme disease is undiagnosed in many Americans due to the lack of an accurate screening test,
no standard presentation, a lack of reliable tick and tick-borne disease studies and many other reasons; and
WHEREAS, The screening test recommended by the CDC fails to detect 50% or more of Lyme disease
cases, and strain variations complicate the testing; and
WHEREAS, Lyme disease can present in a variety of ways. One common sign of Lyme disease is the
presentation of a red bull's-eye rash on the skin near the tick bite mark. However, only approximately 30% of
Lyme disease patients present with this symptom. Lyme disease is known as "The New Great Imitator,"
because it can be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, chronic fatigue
syndrome, Lou Gehrig's disease, cardiac problems, Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit disorder, vision and
hearing problems and other conditions, including psychiatric disorders; and
WHEREAS, Lyme disease can affect almost any part of the body and produces a wide range of symptoms,
including skin lesions, meningitis, progressive muscular and joint pain, mood changes and behavioral
problems. If left untreated, Lyme disease can become an incurable and lifelong debilitating illness
characterized by neurological disorders, emotional and mental disorders, serious pain syndromes in the bone
and muscles, fatal heart disease and respiratory failure; and
WHEREAS, May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease to humans are
most active during May through July: Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas: That we recognize that Lyme disease is significantly
underdiagnosed in the United States and we support further research of the disease, its symptoms and its
treatment; and
Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate shall send an enrolled copy of this resolution to each
member of the Kansas Congressional Delegation; the Chair and Ranking Member of the United States Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; the Chair, Vice Chair and Ranking Member of the
United States House Energy Subcommittee on Health; the Chair, Vice Chair and Ranking Member of the
United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and
Related Agencies; and the Chair, Vice Chair and Ranking Member of the United States House Ways and
Means Subcommittee on Health.
Senate Resolution No. 1833 was sponsored by Senator Carolyn McGinn.