Senate bill targets Lyme disease

ResearchResearch - UK
Senator Chris Dodd, D-CT, has tabled a Senate bill intended to increase federal efforts to tackle the public health threat posed by Lyme disease. With co-sponsor Sen. Rick Santorum, R-PA, Dodd has introduced the Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2005, S1479, to address a serious but underreported and often misunderstood disease.

Lyme disease is named after a town in Dodd’s home state where it was first identified in 1977. The parasite transmits via biting ticks, causing generalized influenza-like symptoms and, if left untreated, can lead to severe heart, neurological, eye, and joint problems. Its diagnosis is often made more difficult by the co-transmission of other tick-borne diseases such as ehrlichiosis and babesiosis and official figures may underestimate the prevalence of Lyme disease by a factor of 10.

Dodd’s bill would authorize the establishment a tick-borne diseases advisory committee at the Department of Health and Human Services. This would help coordinate the efforts of different federal and state authorities in controlling the disease and identify priorities for research on its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The committee would also advise on measures to increase awareness of the general public and healthcare professionals of the impact of the disease.