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.