Senate Resolution 91 Printer's Number 693

PENNSYLVANIA, April 28 - particularly in the knees and other large joints, facial palsy,

intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones, heart

palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, episodes of dizziness or

shortness of breath, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord,

nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness or tingling in the hands or

feet and problems with short-term memory; and

WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and

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

in the United States and is one of the most common reportable

infectious diseases in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, In 2024, the Department of Health recorded 16,599

lab-confirmed cases of Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimate underreporting by a factor of 10 and project occurrence

rates, more accurately, near 160,000; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 20% of Lyme disease cases will cause

long-term chronic symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Approximately one in four cases of Lyme disease

occur in children, and children five to nine years of age are at

the greatest risk for contracting Lyme disease; 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, In 2022, 54.9% of ticks tested in this Commonwealth

were infected with at least one tick-borne pathogen, including

Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, hard tick-borne

relapsing fever and Powassan virus; and

WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth can greatly reduce

their chance of tick bites and pathogen transmission during the

20250SR0091PN0693 - 2 -