Against Legislation
All Letters By IDSA Are Against Patients, Volunteer Organizations,
Patient Advocates and Lyme Treating Physicians
IDSA Sends Letter Opposing H.R. 1179 06/25/2009
IDSA Sends Letter Opposing Enactment of Connecticut House Bill No. 5625 02/03/2009
IDSA Sends Letter Opposing Lyme Disease Legislation in House and Senate 3/21/2008
IDSA Members Testify before the Pennsylvania House Health and Human Services Committee on Appropriate Treatments for Lyme Disease 11/15/2007
IDSA Sends Letters to the NGA and NCSL Regarding Problematic Lyme Disease Legislation 08/07/2007
IDSA Urges the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health to Oppose House Bill 3768 07/12/2007
IDSA Sends Letter Urging Maine Legislators Urging to Invite Board-Certified ID Physicians to Testify at Lyme Disease Hearing 07/03/2007
IDSA Sends Letter Urging Rhode Island State Senators to Amend Joint Resolution 5676 06/19/2007
IDSA Urges Pennsylvania State Senators to Oppose Enactment of Lyme Disease Legislation 04/10/2007
IDSA Sends Letter to Educate Members of Congress on our Lyme Disease Guidelines 01/07/2007
IDSA's Lyme Disease Advocacy Efforts:
IDSA Opposes State Mandates on Doctor-Patient Communications (PDF)
03/13/2013
IDSA objects to a Virginia law that requires physicians to provide patients with a written notice explaining the uncertainty of test results for Lyme disease. The Society supports better diagnostics and public education, but the specific communication mandated in the law doesn’t take into account ongoing scientific advances.
IDSA Opposes State Bill That Would Limit Medical Board’s Authority (PDF)
04/05/2011
IDSA has urged lawmakers not to support bills that would restrict the State Board of Medicine from disciplining physicians who prescribe dangerous therapy for Lyme disease.
IDSA Sends Letter Opposing H.R. 1179 (PDF)
06/25/2009
In a letter on the proposed Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act, IDSA raised concerns about patients being improperly diagnosed with “chronic” Lyme disease and receiving dangerous treatments.
IDSA Letter to the NGA and NCSL Regarding Problematic Lyme Disease Legislation (PDF)
08/07/2007
IDSA sent a letter to the National Governors Association and National Conference of State Legislatures opposing the prolonged usage of antibiotics in the treatment of “chronic” Lyme disease as well as urging the inclusion of board-certified infectious disease physicians in public hearings on Lyme disease.
Link here- http://www.idsociety.org/Lyme_Policy/
Letter to Presidential Candidates BEFORE Election
09/05/2008
IDSA and HIVMA call on the presidential candidates to promote a science-based approach to public health policy, including immunization safety, sexuality education programs, access to clean syringes and needles for injecting drug users, and diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease
Another issue that has been clouded by unfounded controversy is Lyme disease. The lay media, some advocacy groups, and some politicians continue to promote unproven, potentially harmful long-term antibiotic treatments for Lyme disease, despite widespread consensus within the mainstream medical and scientific community about the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is caused by an infection with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is principally transmitted by the deer tick. Treatment usually involves 10-28 days of oral antibiotics and is highly effective. When Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated quickly, 95 percent of people are cured within a few weeks of treatment. 5
In rare cases, people who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and properly treated have lingering symptoms—typically, generalized pain, joint pain, and fatigue. These symptoms have been attributed by some to the presence of chronic Borrelia burgdorferi infection. However, an extensive review of scientifically rigorous studies to date has determined that there is no con- vincing evidence that the bacteria persist after completion of the recommended treatment. De-
spite more than 20 years of research, there has not been one scientifically valid study published in the peer-reviewed medical literature showing that the benefits of long-term antibiotic treat- ment outweigh the risks, which are substantial. Long-term antibiotic therapy may lead to com- plications such as infections of the blood stream and a potentially severe and sometimes deadly infection of the bowel caused by Clostridium difficile. Further, long-term antibiotic therapy may foster the development of drug-resistant “superbugs” that are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat.
As physicians, our goal is to help all our patients become well. To do so, we must be able to rely upon prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies that are supported by the medical and scientific evidence.
As an influential member of the U.S. Senate—and possibly as the next President of the United States of America—you are in a unique position to foster public health strategies that are well grounded in science. Nothing less than the health of the nation is at stake. IDSA and HIVMA stand ready to assist you as a source of credible, science-based information about the full range of infectious diseases.
Sincerely,
Donald M. Poretz, MD, FIDSA
President, Infectious Diseases Society of America
Arlene Bardeguez, MD, MPH
Chair, HIV Medicine Association Board of Directors
State-Level Lyme Disease Advocacy Efforts
Lyme disease is often a regional ailment, and many states have legislation to protect the rights of their constituents. BLURB.
View the state legislation and IDSA advocacy efforts in the following states:
California
Connecticut
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Want more information? Contact your regional IDSA representative.