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Sen. Blumenthal Calls For More Funding To Fight Ticks, Lyme Disease

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – U.S Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for additional funding to fight ticks and Lyme disease as he made an appearance Monday at Seaside Park with Connecticut State Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Cartter, as well as advocates and patients.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)

Photo Credit: File

Blumenthal seeks additional federal funding for Lyme research to develop better tools for diagnosis and reporting of the disease. Experts shared the latest statistics on the prevalence of Lyme disease in Connecticut, where there were 2,346 cases last year, including 434 in Fairfield County alone. 

“Now that the weather is warmer, people will be spending much more time outdoors. Unfortunately, more time outside – especially in wooded areas that are so common in my home state of Connecticut – also means more exposure to tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease – a pernicious and insidious public health threat," Blumenthal said.

Advocates and experts shared simple steps people can take to protect against Lyme, including the BLAST prevention program: 

  • Bathe,
  • Look for ticks,
  • Apply repellant,
  • Spray your yard and
  • Treat your pets.

Last  week, Blumenthal reintroduced the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Protection, Education and Research Act in the Senate, which would help develop better tools for diagnosing and reporting Lyme, as well as increase awareness and education in the medical community.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 300,000 Americans contract Lyme disease annually. Of those case, the vast majority are in the Northeast, with 95 percent of Lyme disease cases occur in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.

In reintroducing the bill, Blumenthal and co-sponsor Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R.-N.H.) called for an increased public awareness and strengthened efforts to combat tick-borne diseases.

"I am proud to reintroduce a measure that will address the need for a strong national effort to fight these diseases as they become more rampant in the warmer months," Blumenthal said. "By making improvements to reporting methods and diagnostic tools, as well as creating a national advisory body that brings together patients, scientists, and policymakers, this legislation will make critical improvements to prevention and treatment methods.”

Ayotte said, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, New Hampshire had the second highest incidence rate of Lyme disease in the country. 

"Our legislation will help address this troubling statistic by creating a strong national effort to fight this disease, which is dangerous if untreated.  Our bill would create a Tick-Borne Diseases Committee comprised of physicians, scientific experts, patients, and Lyme advocates to focus on improving reporting methods, developing better diagnostic tools, ensuring better coordination of efforts, and working to improve prevention and treatment methods related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.”

 

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