Senate Resolution 325 Printer's Number 1741

PENNSYLVANIA, May 21 - migrans, arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling,

particularly in the knees and other large joints, facial palsy,

intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones, heart

palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, episodes of dizziness or

shortness of breath, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord,

nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness or tingling in the hands or

feet and problems with short-term memory; and

WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease

in the United States and is one of the most common reportable

infectious diseases in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, In 2025, the Department of Health recorded 18,747

lab-confirmed cases of Lyme disease, a significant increase over

16,624 lab-informed cases in 2024; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimate underreporting by a factor of 10 and project occurrence

rates, more accurately, near 187,000; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 20% of Lyme disease cases will cause

long-term chronic symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Approximately one in four cases of Lyme disease

occur in children, and children five to nine years of age are at

the greatest risk for contracting Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, In 2022, 54.9% of ticks tested in this Commonwealth

were infected with at least one tick-borne pathogen, including

Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, hard tick relapsing

fever and Powassan virus; and

WHEREAS, Also in 2022, Pennsylvania reported its first human

case of Heartland virus, an arbovirus transmitted by the lone

star tick; and

WHEREAS, In 2024, Pennsylvania reported 1,071 cases of

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