BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 18
Author: Chesbro (D), et al
Amended: 3/26/09 in Assembly
Vote: 21
WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE OR FILE
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Read and adopted, 3/31/09
SUBJECT : Lyme Disease Awareness Month
SOURCE : California Lyme Disease Association
DIGEST : This resolution proclaims the month of May 2009
to be Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
ANALYSIS :
This resolution finds:
1.Lyme disease is an often misunderstood illness that can
cause serious health problems if not caught early and
treated properly.
2.Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the
spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, and is primarily
transmitted by the bit of an infected tick. The disease
was first identified in North American in the 1970s in
Lyme, Connecticut, for which it was named. The disease
has since been found in all 50 states of the United
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States and has been reported globally in more than 50
countries, on six continents, and on several islands.
3.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.
4.Currently, because there is no reliable form of testing
that can accurately pinpoint Lyme disease, getting a
proper diagnosis and prompt treatment is often extremely
difficult.
5.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.
6.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.
7.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
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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.
8.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.
9.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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/13/09)
California Lyme Disease Association (source)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
CTW:cm 4/13/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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