Empire State Lyme Disease
Association Partners With US Senator Chuck Schumer*
(*click for more about Senator Schumer*)
US Senator Chuck Schumer on Board of Empire State Lyme Disease Association
On October 16, 2007, Empire State Lyme Disease
Association was very pleased to announce the
addition to our Board, of a staunch advocate and supporter of Lyme patients both
here in New York and across the US. We extended a heartfelt welcome to US Senator
Chuck Schumer (NY) who consented to become an honorary board member of
Empire State Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
We are grateful to the Senator for his prior work on Lyme disease and look
forward to working with him as we move forward to eradicate this devastating
disease. His concern and sincerity are reflected in his acceptance to work more
closely with patients and advocates in New York as well as those on the national
level.
Senator Schumer has said, “I am happy to serve as an honorary board member of the
Empire State Lyme Disease Association. As I continue to fight for more funding
for research and technology on the federal level, this organization will play a
vital role on the local level to promote education, prevention, and treatment of
Lyme Disease. I look forward to working together to mitigate the impacts of this
horrible disease.”
Pat Smith, LDA
President, stated,
“New York leads the country in Lyme disease case numbers with 75,233 cases
reported from NY alone to CDC from 1990 through 2006. Yet, little is being done
to protect or educate the public about the disease. Even with prompt treatment,
many of those New Yorkers infected with Lyme disease seem to relapse after a
standard course of antibiotics, and tests that accurately diagnose the disease
and prove that the Lyme bacteria are totally eradicated from the body after
treatment have yet to be developed. Concerned officials like Senator Schumer can
make a difference in New York and on the national level, bringing the
considerable resources of government to bear on the vast array of tick-borne
diseases affecting people everywhere.”
Lyme disease is called the great imitator. If under treated or missed in the
early stages, Lyme disease can mimic viruses, attention deficit disorder,
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Lupus, dementia,
Parkinson's, ALS, autoimmune diseases, stress-related illnesses, arthritis,
hearing disorders and others.
Preventing Lyme disease is difficult in part because the ticks can as small as
the period at the end of this sentence and can go unnoticed. Approximately 50
percent of people with Lyme disease don’t recall a tick bite and less than 50
percent have the “typical bulls-eye rash.” Standard Lyme tests may miss up
to 75% of cases. As tick populations increase, more people will contract this
disabling chronic tick-borne disease. Unfortunately, our children are at highest
risk of acquiring the disease, thus ESLDA is presenting a special program on Oct
20 in Manorville called Children of Lyme. See http://www.EmpireStateLymeDiseaseAssociation.org/
for further details on the program.
Empire State Lyme Disease Association is an organization dedicated to educating
the public about the spread of tick-borne diseases in New York State.
Last Modified: March 20, 2008