BILL NUMBER: ACR 18	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Chesbro

                        FEBRUARY 3, 2009

   Relative to Lyme Disease Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 18, as introduced, Chesbro. Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
   This measure proclaims the month of May 2009 to be Lyme Disease
Awareness Month.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Lyme disease is an often misunderstood illness that can
cause serious health problems if not caught early and treated
properly; and
   WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the
spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, and is primarily transmitted by the
bite of an infected tick. The disease was first identified in North
America in the 1970s in Lyme, Connecticut, for which it was named.
The disease has since been found in all 50 states of the United
States and has been reported globally in more than 50 countries, on
six continents, and on several islands; and
   WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a complex and multisymptom illness. Early
signs of infection may include rash and flu-like symptoms, including
fever, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. Usually Lyme disease
responds well to prompt treatment with appropriate antibiotics. If
untreated or inadequately treated, however, Lyme disease can invade
multiple parts of the body, including the brain and nervous system.
In advanced cases patients may become increasingly disabled over time
and may suffer crippling muscle and joint pain, neurological
impairment, psychological disorders, and a host of other symptoms
that can lead to financial hardship, job loss, broken families,
increased numbers of people on disability and public support, and
even death; and
   WHEREAS, According to statistics provided by the federal Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 22,000 new
cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States each year.
The CDC estimates that 90 percent of Lyme disease cases are
unreported, suggesting that the total number of cases is
approximately 220,000 each year. This number is approximately five
times the number of new AIDS cases each year. Up to 40 percent of
Lyme disease cases result in long-term health problems, affecting up
to an estimated 88,000 patients annually; and
   WHEREAS, In California, the bacterium is transmitted by the
western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus). This tick is most common
in the coastal regions and along the western slope of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, but it has also been found in 56 of California's 58
counties; and
   WHEREAS, Ticks have three life stages: larval, nymphal, and adult.
Both nymphs and adults can transmit diseases to humans. Ticks attach
themselves to animals such as deer, rodents, and birds and migrate
to new areas with those host animals. In some areas of California,
Lyme disease infection rates of nymphal ticks have been found to be
as high as 42 percent, among the highest in the entire United States.
However, since some areas of the state have yet to be tested, the
true scope of the problem is unknown; and
   WHEREAS, Although Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne
infection in the United States, the ticks that spread Lyme disease
can also spread other diseases. These coinfections include diseases
like babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis. The presence of
coinfections can complicate treatment of Lyme disease; and
   WHEREAS, Three new borrelial species belonging to the Lyme disease
spirochetal complex have been described recently, increasing the
number of these bacterial species known to be from California to five
and making California the locus of more distinct borrelia species
than any other geographical region in the United States; and
   WHEREAS, The Legislature finds that Lyme disease presents a health
threat to Californians; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month
of May 2009 to be Lyme Disease Awareness Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.