Gillibrand: More Funding for Research, Prevention of Tick-borne Diseases | News

According to Senators, 92,577 Lyme diseases have been reported in the last 20 years in New York, the number one target for tick-related diseases in the United States.

Tick-borne diseases are less common in Catalogues and Allegany counties, especially in the capital and central Hudson regions, compared to other counties. Between 2000 and 2019, Cattaraugus County had an average of 7.75 cases of Lyme disease annually. In Allegany County, there were an average of 3.8 cases per year.

Dutchess County had an average of about 640 cases per year, and Orange County had an average of more than 344 cases of Lyme disease per year during the same period.

Despite the high number of vector-borne diseases in New York and the United States, Gilibrand said federal investment in research and prevention of these diseases remains low, costing only $ 191 per case of Lyme disease. He said he wasn’t killed.

“New York is a hotspot for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, and our community has been feeling the effects of these diseases for years,” Gilibrand said at a press conference in Washington. Told. “Vector-borne diseases are becoming an increasingly public health crisis. To combat the devastating and life-changing effects of these diseases, fund research, surveillance, prevention, and epidemic response. It’s important to provide. “

David Roth, chair of the Project Lyme executive committee, said he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and superinfectious Babesiosis after 10 doctors and multiple false-negative tests when it became severe in 2010. ..

“There is a huge gap in understanding the pathology of these diseases and their treatment, and better diagnostic tests are very needed,” Ross said, praising Gilibrand’s leadership on the issue of increasing research funding. I am.

Gilibrand’s $ 12 million demand for DOD’s tick-borne disease research supports the study of the fundamental problems and knowledge gaps associated with tick-borne disease. Additional funding will fund the Center of Excellence for Lyme disease and tick-borne disease, which supports early detection and diagnosis, improves treatment, raises awareness, and leads the scientific response to ticks. To help each state build a public health infrastructure for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Infectious disease.

It will also help the US Department of Health and Human Services develop a national strategy for vector-borne diseases, including tick-borne diseases, to coordinate efforts between various government agencies. Gillibrand is also working to secure funding for the CDC to expand its underfunded programs in the region.

Lyme disease is a deer tick-borne bacterial infectious disease that is transmitted by being bitten by humans or animals. If left untreated, Lyme disease spirochidae travels through the bloodstream and appears in body tissues, sometimes causing mild or severe symptoms.

Lyme disease begins as a rash where the tick bites and spreads to the nervous system, heart, and joints. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are essential for recovery, and with the use of appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease, recovery is usually rapid.

Untreated and undiagnosed Lyme disease can have debilitating effects on human health.

The Gilibrand office states that at least 18 infectious tick-borne pathogens are known, with 20 conditions and 13 illnesses resulting from tick bites. Reported 15 years ago in the United States. The number of cases of Lime’s disease has more than doubled to nearly 500,000, with an estimated $ 1.3 billion annual in direct medical costs.