We the undersigned, are writing to you to ask you to take action on Senate Bill #210 (#1199 in 2010), Lyme and Related Tick-Borne Disease Education, Prevention and Treatment Act. This bill is very important in PA - many are being devastated by these diseases (see separate listing of our personal stories). In any disease with uncertainty and evolving science, physician clinical judgment is critical, and complex illnesses like this require individualized solutions. There are 2 standards of care, and patients should have informed choice. This bill is absolutely necessary to address current issues in the prevention, education, treatment and access to skilled care for these diseases. Thank you for reading our signatures and stories that are representative of many more in Pennsylvania.
We are specifically asking for consideration of this bill. This committee needs to know that this bill is very important to us, and necessary to the public of PA. These diseases have been growing astronomically; PA has been #1, 2 or 3 in the past in new cases, and the seriousness of their impact is growing as well. The stories of those affected by these diseases, many of them children, are heartbreaking and cannot be ignored any longer. Last year, scientists gene sequenced 13 substrains of Lyme and found that while some only create a rash and slight illness, easy to cure, many strains cause a very serious and debilitating disease. Science has long over-turned the dated notions that underpin the narrow, acute understanding of these diseases reflected in the practices of the majority of medical practitioners today. Restore the rights of patients to full information about these diseases and the 2 standards of care, our rights are being violated and childrens lives are at stake.
Thank you for your representation of our concerns, and support of this important legislation. And our great thanks to Senator Greenleaf who has taken the lead in rectifying this horrendous situation with this bill.
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