WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the Second Regular Session, most respectfully present and petition the President of the United States and the United States Congress as follows:

WHEREAS,  Lyme disease is a common but frequently misunderstood illness that, if not caught early and treated properly, can cause serious health problems; and

WHEREAS,  Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted by a tick bite, and early signs of infection may include a rash and flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue; and

WHEREAS,  although Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, the disease often goes undetected because it mimics other illnesses or may be misdiagnosed and, if untreated, can lead to severe heart, neurological, eye and joint problems because the bacteria can affect many different organs and organ systems; and

WHEREAS,  although Lyme disease accounts for 90% of all vector-borne infections in the United States, the ticks that spread the disease also spread other diseases such as ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis; and

WHEREAS,  the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the reported cases of Lyme disease are only 10% of actual cases that meet its surveillance criteria and has reported 27,444 new cases of Lyme disease in 2007, a 38% increase from the year before; and

WHEREAS,  the persistence of symptomatology in many patients without reliable testing makes treatment of patients more difficult; and

WHEREAS,  the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009 has been introduced in the 111th United States Congress as H.R. 741/S. 1352; and

WHEREAS,  the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009 would advance the treatment of, and cure for, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases by expanding federal efforts concerning prevention, education, treatment and research activities related to Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases by providing authorization for the appropriation of $20,000,000 for each of the federal fiscal years from 2010 to 2012 for these activities; and

WHEREAS,  this legislation would also require the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to annually report to the United States Congress on these activities and make recommendations for further research and education and would establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee within the Office of the Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services; now, therefore, be it