Supporting the designation of the month of May as “Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month”.

Supporting the designation of the month of May as “Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month”.

Whereas, in 2023, over 89,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by State health departments and the District of Columbia using routine national surveillance, a ninefold increase since Lyme disease became a notifiable condition in the United States in 1991;

Whereas, using other methods, CDC has most recently estimated that approximately 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States;

Whereas the CDC Tick Bite Data Tracker has already reported the highest rates of weekly emergency room visits due to tick bites since 2017 in almost every part of the country;

Whereas ticks that transmit Lyme disease are now found in all of the 48 contiguous States and in 50 percent of United States counties;

Whereas early detection and treatment is critical for bringing patients with Lyme disease back to full health;

Whereas, even when early intervention is possible, as many as 20 percent of Lyme patients exhibit persistent symptoms, known as chronic Lyme;

Whereas the passage of the Kay Hagan Tick Act created, for the first time, a whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme disease;

Whereas, in December, the Secretary of Health and Human Services hosted a Lyme disease roundtable, bringing public health officials, researchers, educators and advocates together to discuss successes and opportunities in the Federal response to Lyme disease;

Whereas, at the roundtable, the Secretary announced the full renewal of the LymeX Innovation Accelerator, a public-private partnership with the Steve & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and the world’s largest public-private partnership dedicated to Lyme disease;

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has taken critical steps to educate the public about the prevalence of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, including its awareness and prevention campaign, “No Time for Lyme”; and

Whereas, despite tremendous progress being made, the Federal Government can and should do more to equip public health agencies with the knowledge and training they need to monitor and control outbreaks of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the designation of “Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month” and continues to champion efforts to spread awareness of and develop better clinical responses to Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.