Chris Smith: “Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States today. If not diagnosed and treated…”

“Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States today. If not diagnosed and treated properly, Lyme can lead to disseminated infection that can affect every system in the body, including the central nervous system. Later symptoms of Lyme include neurological problems, memory loss, brain fog, and heart systems such as heart block and inflammation of the heart muscle. Lyme has been reported in every State in the United States. My State, for example, has a particularly high incidence of new cases and old, about 50,000 new infections each year. While grossly undercounted for decades, new scientific evidence shows that the number of new cases of Lyme is now estimated to be between 291,000 to 437,000. Remember, these are new cases of Lyme disease. Since 1998, Mr. Chair, I have introduced comprehensive legislation on tick-borne diseases, including Lyme. At the core of it was the creation of a working group or a blue-ribbon commission to try to figure out what is going on and to have Lyme-literate participants because there has been a culture of denial about Lyme disease, particularly chronic Lyme, for decades. With the support and strategic help of Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, we succeeded in our goal and added the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group to the 21st Century Cures Act. I am thankful to Fred Upton, as well, for his leadership on this important initiative.…”