FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
SENATE
& HOUSE LYME BILLS:
$100 MILLION FOR LYME RESEARCH & EDUCATION
ILADS ANNOUNCES
SUPPORT FOR BILLS
Bethesda,
MD November 9, 2005 — The
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) announces
its strong support for two new companion bills introduced in
Washington July 25 and 26: Senate bill S-1479 introduced
by Senator Christopher Dodd (CT) for himself and Senator Rick
Santorum (PA), and House bill HR-3427 introduced by Congressman
Christopher Smith (NJ) for himself and Congresswoman Sue Kelly
(NY). The “Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education,
and Research Act of 2005,” authorizes an additional $100
million for Lyme disease research, education and prevention
over five years and provides goals that address the issues surrounding
Lyme disease. About 220 thousand Americans develop Lyme each
year, making it the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the
US today. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
(CDC), only 10% of cases that meet its criteria are reported.
The companion
bills provide a much needed and higher level of resources dedicated
to Lyme disease. They also contain numerous measures to ensure
that resources are expended effectively to provide the most
benefit to people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases (See
http://thomas.loc.gov/
for text).
The bills
direct the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to promote
development of a sensitive and accurate diagnostic test; improved
surveillance and prevention; and clinical outcomes research
to determine the long-term course of illness and effectiveness
of different treatments. The legislation establishes a Tick-Borne
Diseases Advisory Committee to ensure interagency coordination
and communication among federal agencies, medical professionals,
and patients/patient advocates.
The legislation
provides $100 million over 5 years for research and education,
a significant commitment in the fight against tick-borne diseases.
Additionally, the bills require examination of existing testing
methods and research into new diagnostic tests for Lyme disease.
According to Raphael Stricker, MD, ILADS President, “ILADS
fully supports the passage of the companion Lyme bills HR-3427
and S-1479 and urges the general medical community to
support them. These bills address the pressing needs of the
medical community to improve our understanding of the relatively
common, increasingly widespread, and potentially devastating
complications of Lyme disease.”
The companion
bills also call for examination of the feasibility of a reporting
system for collecting data on physician-diagnosed cases that
do not meet the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
surveillance criteria for Lyme disease, which are very narrow
and miss many cases. The lack of comprehensive surveillance
leads to lower numbers, which in turn leads to a lack of government
focus on the disease.
A Tick-Borne
Diseases Advisory Committee will be created within the Department
of Health & Human Services. Scientists, physicians, patients,
and advocacy groups will be a part of the committee. The composition
of the committee will be balanced and present all aspects of
the Lyme disease spectrum from acute to chronic.
ILADS is
a professional medical society whose membership includes hundreds
of physicians and health care providers well versed in the management
of Lyme disease, many of whom are well-recognized and widely
published experts in the field of tick-borne diseases.
ILADS is
asking those interested in chronic Lyme and other tick-borne
diseases to call their congressman today and express support.
Go to www.ilads.org for information
on ILADS.
PRESS CONTACT:
Barbara Buchman (301) 263 1080
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