PENNSYLVANIA, May 4 - WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease

in the United States; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, 10,208 Lyme disease cases were reported in

this Commonwealth, but the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention estimate under-reporting by a factor of 10 and

project occurrence rates, more accurately, in the 100,000s; and

WHEREAS, From 2000 to 2018, there were 106,718 confirmed Lyme

disease cases in this Commonwealth, but due to the fact that the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's number only

represents confirmed cases, the actual number of Lyme disease

cases may be far greater, possibly over 1 million; and

WHEREAS, Approximately one in four cases of Lyme disease

occur in children, and children ages five to nine are at the

greatest risk for contracting Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has ranked the highest in the

country in the number of confirmed Lyme disease cases for the

past eight years; and

WHEREAS, The blacklegged tick has been found in all 67

counties in this Commonwealth, verifying that every resident,

from Erie to Philadelphia, must take precautions to prevent the

spread of Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses; and

WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth can greatly reduce

their chance of tick bites and pathogen transmission during the

spring season by taking proper precautions while engaged in

outdoor activities, making frequent tick checks and removing and

disposing of ticks promptly and properly; and

WHEREAS, The Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania, an East

Stroudsburg University-affiliated lab, is dedicated to providing

free, fast, highly-rated, laboratory-quality tick testing to

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