Over the last five years, it has become increasingly important work. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), New York State has the third-highest number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the nation. Our task force has been actively working, session after session, to strengthen the state’s response through awareness and education, research, and prevention and treatment. State funding has been increased. We continue to build on a foundation of legislation, including this year’s action requiring the state to conduct an impact study on how infectious diseases and blood-borne pathogens, including Lyme and TBDs, may have correlations with mental illness in infected individuals. This new “Mental Health Impacts Report” would enable better treatment of the mental health consequences associated with these infections. Additional legislation would establish an expert-based Lyme and TBDs Working Group to review current best practices for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Most recently, I joined my Task Force colleagues to call on the state Department of Health (DOH) to study a potentially dangerous tick species found for the first time in New York. We are targeting the recent discovery of the Longhorned tick in downstate Westchester County – the first time this species has been discovered within our borders. This tick is not native to the United States, nor has it been known to inhabit the U.S., but it has now been found in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas, in addition to New York.
In a July 25 letter to the state health commissioner, we wrote, “The presence in New York of this particular species raises public health concerns related to the potential spread of Lyme disease and other associated tick borne diseases to individuals and companion animals. Additionally, the Longhorned tick poses a threat to our state’s agricultural economic markets as this species has been recognized as a disease vector that may infect livestock. Infected livestock may exhibit fatigue, reduced milk production, and in instances of mass infections, death. With New York already ranking third in 2016 in confirmed cases of Lyme disease, and third in 2017 among all states in milk production, these concerns require a more in-depth look to protect the people of our State as well as our agricultural economic interests.”
Specifically, we want the DOH to study:
- - the extent to which this new species has, and is predicted, to spread throughout the state;
- the health impacts that the Longhorn tick may have on humans, companion animals and livestock;
- improvements to the methods physicians and veterinarians use to report the discovery of this particular tick; and
- recommendations for eradicating the Longhorned tick.
Earlier this year the CDC reported that instances of Lyme disease have almost doubled since 2004 – and the number of cases is likely a great deal higher because of the difficulty in diagnosing Lyme.
Lyme and other tick-borne disease represent a major concern for everyone who enjoys the outdoors. It’s a serious public health threat that continues to demand our attention, and action. Those who suffer from Lyme disease and other TBDs can endure years of frustration seeking effective diagnosis and treatment. Our task force will continue its work to encourage and implement a state-level action plan and a comprehensive response.
