BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SCR 80
Author: Wolk (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SUBJECT : Lyme Disease Awareness Month
SOURCE : California Lyme Disease Association
DIGEST : This resolution proclaims the month of May 2010
as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
ANALYSIS :
This resolution makes the following legislative findings:
1.Lyme disease is an often-misunderstood illness that can
cause serious health problems if it is not caught early
and properly treated.
2.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, and since that
time the disease has since been found in all 50 of the
United States. The reach of Lyme disease is global,
having been reported in more than 50 countries on six
continents and several islands.
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3.Since there is no reliable form of testing that can
accurately pinpoint Lyme disease, getting a proper
diagnosis and prompt treatment is often extremely
difficult.
4.According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) statistics, an average of 22,000 new
cases of Lyme disease is reported in the United States
each year. The CDC, however, estimates that more than 90
percent of Lyme disease cases are not reported,
suggesting a total of approximately 220,000 cases a year.
This total is about five times the number of new AIDS
cases per year. Up to 40 percent of Lyme disease cases
result in long-term health problems suggesting
approximately 88,000 patients annually.
5.In California, the Lyme disease bacterium is transmitted
by the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus).
Ticks are active year round, especially when it is wet;
thus, this tick is most common in the coastal regions and
along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range, but
has been found in 56 of California's 58 counties.
6.In some areas of California, Lyme disease infection rates
of nymphal ticks have been found to be as high as 42
percent; thus, the infection rate in certain regions of
California is among the highest in the entire United
States. However, since some areas of the state have not
been tested for tick infection, the true scope of the
problem is not known.
7.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 at the same
time. Among these coinfections are diseases such as
babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis. The presence
of coinfections can complicate the treatment of Lyme
disease.
8.Recently, three new borrelial species belonging to the
Lyme disease spirochetal complex have been described,
thus increasing the number of these bacteria known to
occur in California to five and making California the
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locus of more distinct borrelia species than any other
geographical region I the United States.
This resolution proclaims the month of May 2010 as Lyme
Disease Awareness Month.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
CTW:do 3/24/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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