Gillibrand and Blumenthal in this effort." Today's forum is an excellent step in that regard, and I appreciate the opportunity to partner with Sens. "It is imperative we do a better job raising awareness of tick-borne illnesses and improve our current diagnosis and treatment options. "Across my Congressional District and New York State, Lyme Disease has significantly impacted my constituents and many others," Gibson said. I look forward to working with Senator Gillibrand on legislation that will establish such a body and implement other necessary reforms." Lyme disease has reached epidemic proportions, and a national advisory body that gives patients a voice and a seat at the table with policymakers, scientists, researchers and others is imperative to better prevent and treat this disease. Inadequate diagnosis and reporting cause devastating damage to countless individuals every day. There is a strong consensus that the nation must improve reporting of Lyme cases and develop better diagnostic tools. "Today's forum further underscores the urgent need for a strong national initiative to combat Lyme disease. "Lyme disease is a pervasive and pernicious public health scourge," Blumenthal said. I will continue to work with my colleagues to push for legislation that would develop better tools for diagnosing and reporting Lyme disease, and ensure doctors are better equipped to diagnose and treat those who become infected." We must invest in better research, educate families on the risks, emphasize prevention and improve treatment strategies. We need to do more than check our kids for ticks when they come in from playing. "It is time once and for all to take the right steps to prevent this horrible epidemic. "With spring just around the corner, we must continue to work to ensure that our children and their families can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of contracting tick-borne diseases," Gillibrand said. Some never find out - they just continue to suffer. Those infected often spend months and, in many cases years, searching to simply determine the cause of their illness. Further, victims of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases suffer in large part because there is currently no diagnostic tool that is even 60 percent reliable. When left untreated or undertreated, victims of these diseases suffer extremely incapacitating illnesses that also cause significant and preventable health care costs and reduced economic productivity. In 2011, more than 24,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease were reported in the U.S., with the CDC stating it believed only 10-12 percent of all cases had been reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have singled out Lyme disease as the most common and fastest growing vector-borne, infectious disease in the country. A satellite forum was held at SUNY Ulster, and the event was streamed live at and /tickborne/. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.), in partnership with the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance (TBDA), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and promoting advocacy to find a cure for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, hosted a forum at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City to discuss the fight against the silent epidemic of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease. Panel of Patients and Experts Address Issues Facing Hundreds of Thousands Afflicted with Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases & Public Health Threat Posed By These Diseases
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