State Senate Hears Testimony on Lyme Disease

HARRISBURG – New initiatives to reduce the threat to humans of Lyme disease from tick bites drew support from some Pennsylvania senators this past Monday at a Senate committee hearing.

Pennsylvania Leads in Lyme Disease Cases

Pennsylvania is among the top-ranked states for the number of confirmed Lyme disease cases and other tick-borne diseases. Green industry jobs in landscaping and nursery field work are among the highest risk occupations for tick-borne diseases.

Health and Human Services Committee Hears Testimony

The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony from state Health Department deputy secretary Nick Barishansky and Nichole Chinicci, director of East Stroudsburg University’s Tick Research Lab, about the $3 million that Pennsylvania has budgeted in Fiscal Year 2020-21 to combat the disease.

Both Barishansky and Chinicci said it’s important to educate Pennsylvania residents and doctors about Lyme disease especially since several symptoms of that disease such as chills, fever and headaches are the same for COVID 19.

“It’s time for Pennsylvania to be as proactive as possible so we can prevent these tick-borne illnesses,” said Chicinni whose lab receives $500,000 annually in state aid to support its tick testing and analysis lab.

The ESU lab is currently receiving 350 tick samples daily at a time when there is a spike in COVID-19 infections, she added. More than 50 percent of the ticks being sent came from residential backyards.

“All the ticks that survived over the winter are seeking a host,” said Chinicci.

Recommendations to Expand State Efforts

She offered several recommendations to expand state efforts, including doing more research to develop anti-tick vaccines for humans and for small mammals which are disease spreaders, more research to develop methods to reduce the number of ticks, more posting on social media about the diseases, targeted education aimed at doctors and continuing support for the ESU lab’s tick testing service.

People can send a tick sample to the lab and receive the test results free of charge.

The pandemic has had a negative impact on some of the state’s tick prevention efforts, said Barishansky. About one-third of this year’s budgeted money for such areas as surveillance, testing and planning has been spent, he added.

The state is getting ready to launch a social media awareness campaign soon, said Barishansky.

Sens. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, and Scott Hutchinson, R-Venango, suggested it would make sense to focus more on the state’s resources on remediation efforts in the FY2021-22 budget,

Pennsylvania needs to do more to combat the tick epidemic, said Committee Majority Chair Michele Brooks, R-Mercer, adding it’s a curable disease if treated early.

Contact Your State Rep

PLNA is pleased to see the increased interest, especially by the Pennsylvania Senate. A bill introduced last session to compel health insurance carriers to cover the long-term treatment of tick-borne illnesses was passed overwhelmingly in the House (former House Bill 629) but died in the Senate. The bill has been reintroduced in the House (now HB 1033) by Representative Kathy Rapp (R- Warren) and awaits action by the House Health Committee.

PLNA members should call their state representative and urge them to ask House leadership to move HB 1033 from the Health Committee to the full House for a vote. To find you state representative, click here.