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Lyme research proposal part of $9B federal bill
$8.75B legislative proposal includes focus on tick-borne illnesses
By Claire Hughes
Published 8:46 pm, Friday, July 10, 2015
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- Congressman Chris Gibson, left, discusses the 21st Century Cures Act during a press conference Friday, July 10, 2015, at Albany International Airport in Albany, N.Y. (Phoebe Sheehan/Special to The Times Union) Buy this photo
A legislative proposal that would require the federal government to establish a more aggressive plan to battle tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease passed the House of Representatives on Friday as part of a $9 billion package to accelerate medical developments, including investigations into chronic and rare diseases.
The measure now goes to the Senate.
Rep. Chris Gibson authored a portion of the bill, the 21st Century Cures Act, that would prioritize federal research on Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, which have been on the rise in New York, with more than 7,500 cases statewide in 2013.
Treatment of Lyme disease has been increasingly controversial as some patients claim to have persistent symptoms that don't respond to established remedies. Patient activists believe the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is stealthy, and can persist in the body after standard antibiotic treatments. Some doctors, including the nation's largest infectious disease medical group, do not acknowledge chronic Lyme.
The bill would require federal health officials to consider cases of chronic or persistent Lyme disease in their plans. Those plans would be hammered out with advice from a working group of both government and non-government participants, including patients and families who have battled tick-borne disease, with diverse scientific viewpoints.
The working group especially appeals to activists who have fought for acceptance of chronic Lyme and for increased federal funding into innovative research on the disease.
A legislative proposal that would require the federal government to establish a more aggressive plan to battle tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease passed the House of Representatives on Friday as part of a $9 billion package to accelerate medical developments, including investigations into chronic and rare diseases.
The measure now goes to the Senate.
Rep. Chris Gibson authored a portion of the bill, the 21st Century Cures Act, that would prioritize federal research on Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, which have been on the rise in New York, with more than 7,500 cases statewide in 2013.
Link Here- http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Lyme-research-proposal-part-of-9B-federal-bill-6378587.php