Chris Smith: “Lyme disease is one of the Nation's fastest growing infectious diseases. This is an issue of great concern to military…”

“Lyme disease is one of the Nation's fastest growing infectious diseases. This is an issue of great concern to military personnel and their families who serve and train in areas endemic for Lyme disease. In New Jersey both Fort Dicks and Naval Weapons Station Earle have been indicated as having high levels of risk of Lyme disease during their latest known Lyme disease risk assessment. As the chairman knows, as a result of an amendment that I had offered in 1994, the Department of Defense Lyme disease research programs ran out in February of 1997. According to the Army Surgeon General's office, a mere $600,000 would be needed each year to optimally maintain the tick-borne disease program and the Molecular Biology Laboratory. Can the chairman assure me that the conference report on this bill will contain the $600,000 in funding that the U.S. Army needs to continue with this important work in the fight against Lyme disease, and tick-borne diseases?”