May. 13, 2019
HARRISBURG –With the Commonwealth still leading the nation in documented cases of Lyme disease, Rep. Rosemary M. Brown (R-Monroe/Pike) sponsored
House Resolution 38, which designates May 2019 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted primarily by ticks and is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi.
“It is crucial for our residents to be informed on the serious impact Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have on our Commonwealth, as well as what precautions they should take to prevent themselves and their families from contracting this disease,” Brown said. “I will continue to advocate on behalf of Pennsylvanians who are affected by this disease and other tickborne illnesses and fight for better policies that will aid our medical communities in early detection of this disease, support research for treatments, and educate our health practitioners.”
Brown also suggests researching pet prevention and landscaping measures to reduce ticks in residents’ home environment.
In addition to House Resolution 38, Brown has sponsored two additional pieces of legislation to help prevent the spread of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 94 would require school nurses to remove a tick when it is found on a child during the school day, notify the parent or guardian with medical information and resources, and store the tick for seven days.
House Bill 96 would require physicians to complete two hours of continuing medical education focused on Lyme disease and related tick-borne illnesses to help physicians receive the most up-to-date information on pathogens, testing parameters, patient symptom profiles and current treatment options.
Brown would like to remind Pennsylvania residents that they may have ticks tested for FREE at East Stroudsburg University’s Tick Research Lab after removing them. Ticks can also be mailed to the lab as well.
For more information about ESU’s Tick Research Lab and free tick testing, residents can visit their website
ticklab.org.
Representative Rosemary M. Brown
189th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abby Krueger
717.260.6617
akrueger@pahousegop.com
RepBrown.com /
Facebook.com/RepRosemaryBrown