Canastota, NY -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is using his own brush with Lyme Disease to raise awareness about tick-borne illnesses on the rise statewide.
Schumer was in Canastota this morning to announce his support for the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act, which will expand the federal government’s education and research efforts.
Schumer said Lyme disease spread to Central New York over the past several years from the Hudson Valley, Long Island and New York City suburbs, where it has been prevalent for years.
The same is now true of Babesiosis (Pronounced: ba-BEE-see-oh-sis), an emerging illness with less identifiable symptoms that can be fatal for those with weakened immune systems.
Statewide, cases of babesiosis are up 71 percent since 2005, increasing from 177 to 303 cases.
Locally, the figures are decidedly lower. Madison County’s first and only reported case of babesiosis was in 2010; Onondaga County health officials saw two reported cases in 2009 and none since.
But Madison County Health Director Eric Faisst said the true incidence of the disease could be higher, since the diseases easily can be misdiagnosed as the flu or a general infection.
“The public health issue can become complicated for both patients and physicians, because public awareness devoted to the diseases is cyclic,” Faisst said.
Faisst said the county also surveys veterinarians to see evaluate tick and Lyme disease activity in animals. Between 2001 and 2009, Madison County has recorded 443 positive cases of Lyme disease in dogs, submitting tick specimens to a state lab for identification and other testing.
Thursday’s press conference aimed to create awareness during the height of the summer, when rates of infection are higher due to warm temperatures.
“People need to be aware that there are small, but serious pests lurking in the weeds,” Schumer said.
He knows from personal experience. In 2007, he found a tick on his leg after a trip to rural areas of the Hudson Valley. He immediately went to a doctor to have the tick removed. Two or three days later, he developed a rash in the shape of a bull’s-eye, a symptom of a bite from an infected tick.
New York’s senior senator then took a 21-day treatment of antibiotics to prevent onset of the disease.
Schumer said he experienced no other symptoms, which can include fatigue and fever.
The key is early detection and treatment, Schumer said.
“They are highly curable in the early stages,” Schumer said of Babesiosis and Lyme disease. “ But the longer it stays in the bloodstream, the more permanent damage.”
The new legislation will focus on education for doctors and patients.
“We need people to recognize that when they’ve been bitten by a tick, they need to see their doctor,” Schumer said. “It can be a lifesaver.”
On other topics
A spate of recent tour bus crashes prompted Schumer to reissue his call for new safety regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Department of Transportation.
Schumer cited a crash Wednesday in Binghamton that injured 28 passengers.
“These discount tour buses speed along our highways and they are often not very safe,” he said. “The drivers sometimes aren’t trained, they may have violations on their records and they are pushed by their companies to drive at all hours without sleep.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is in the process of conducting a study on the safety aspects of the low-cost inter-city motor coach industry that Schumer plans to use to pursue more aggressive regulations.
Schumer also commented on the recent debate over the debt ceiling, saying the final deal represented a compromise.
“To have defaulted would have almost certainly thrown us back into recession,” he said. “Democrats and Republicans came together to make sure that didn’t happen.”
Schumer said he personally fought potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare funding. He said he would fight to make sure spending cuts focused on areas of “duplication and waste,” and push to address tax loopholes to bring in more revenue.
“Right now, we give corporations a tax break to send jobs overseas,” he said.
The partisan rancor reached a new high during the debate, when “We came so close to default, it was so bad.” he said. “I’m hoping that people look in the mirror and say, ‘Enough of this already.’”