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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Gillibrand pushes for Lyme Disease prevention
With Lyme disease cases increasing
in Ulster County, U.S. Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand visited the Cluett Schantz
Memorial Park in Milton on Monday
to urge the Trump Administration to
implement her Lyme and Tick-Borne
Disease Prevention, Education, and
Research Act, which became law as a
part of the 21st Century Cures Act in
December 2016. This critical law will
ensure federal coordination on urgently
needed research for prevention, diagnosis
and treatments for Lyme and other tick-
borne diseases.
Lyme disease is the most commonly
reported vector-borne illness in the U.S.,
and New York is among the states most
significantly affected by this disease. In
2015, New York reported 3,252 confirmed
cases of Lyme disease to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). However, the CDC estimates that
the actual number of diagnosed cases
is as many as ten times the number of
cases that states report to the CDC. The
New York State Department of Health
estimates that Ulster County had 514
cases of Lyme disease in 2015.
“Families in Ulster County should
be able to spend time outdoors without
having to worry about being bitten by
ticks and contracting Lyme disease,”
said Gillibrand. “I was proud to see
my legislation to combat Lyme disease
signed into law last December, but
the Trump administration has not yet
moved forward to implement the law,
even though this crisis is urgent. I will
continue to do everything I can to help
fight Lyme disease in New York, and I
urge the Trump administration to take
this problem seriously and carry out its
responsibilities under the Lyme disease
provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act.”
“Lyme disease is a significant national
public health threat, affecting adults,
L – r: Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Town Supervisor Al
Lanzetta, Assemblyman Frank Skartados in Milton on Monday.
seniors and children at an alarming rate,”
said Ulste r County Executive Mike Hein.
“Ulster County has been taking action at
the local level through our Department of
Health and with countless partners, but
more help is needed; which is why I want
to commend Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
for bringing her steadfast commitment to
this issue and for bringing added focus to
the importance of prevention and much-
needed federal funding for research and
treatment in our ongoing fight against
Lyme disease.
Senator Gillibrand
continues to deliver for the great people
of Ulster County as well as New Yorkers
all across the state.”
“Federal funding, State funding, and
more importantly the public-private
partnership that is fundamental to
scientific research, will be the key to
finding solutions to reducing the scourge
of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases,”
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SERVING DUTCHESS AND ULSTER COUNTIES
said Joshua R. Ginsberg, Ph. D., President,
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
“The explosion of ticks and Tick-
Borne Diseases, has been allowed to
spread unabated for 43 years,” said Jill
Auerbach, Chairperson, Hudson Valley
Lyme Disease Association. “Thanks to
Senator Gillibrand and the others in
Congress who fought for the public, and
for this bipartisan law on Tick-Borne
diseases. It will finally bring all sides
together in a workgroup, no longer behind
closed doors. It will look at all of the
science under Congressional oversight to
address real answers. We need answers
regarding an accurate test and cures for
the diseases, Tick research for drastic
reduction of the tick population and to
block tick ability to transmit disease, and
increased funding commensurate with
the impact of the disease on society. Tick
research holds the most promise to bring
about fruitful solutions to STOP TICKS
and STOP DISEASE yet this field of
study is long ignored and receives only a
pittance of funding.”
According to the CDC, between 2005
and 2015, there were 41,229 reported cases
of Lyme disease in New York, one of
the most heavily affected states in the
country. 95 percent of confirmed Lyme
disease cases in 2015 were reported from
just fourteen states, including New York.
In April, Senator Gillibrand, along
with Senator Richard Blumenthal
(D-CT), wrote a letter to the Secretary
of Health and Human Services (HHS)
requesting an update on the Trump
Administration’s efforts to implement
the federal Tick-Borne Diseases Working
Group, which is one of the requirements
in Gillibrand’s Lyme and Tick-Borne
Disease Prevention, Education, and
Research Act. The Working Group will
ensure coordination among federal
agencies and with researchers, health
care providers, and patients in addressing
tick-borne illnesses. The Working Group
will comprise of representatives from
federal agencies, including the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention,
the National Institutes of Health, and
the Food and Drug Administration, as
well as non-federal members, such as
medical providers with experience in
diagnosing and treating tick-borne
diseases, scientists or researchers with
expertise in tick-borne diseases, patients
and their family members, and non-profit
organizations that advocate for patients.
In addition, the Working Group will
submit a report to Congress every two
years and will publish the report on the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services’ website regarding the Working
Group’s recommendations for improving
the federal response to addressing tick-
borne diseases.