Lyme disease task force bill passes Iowa Senate

A bill that would establish a “Lyme disease task force” has passed the Iowa Senate last week with 49 yeas and no nays, according to Gov Track.US.

 Image/CDC

The legislation, Senate File 2090, now heads to the Iowa House of Representatives for a vote.

The bill would require the Iowa Department Public Health to establish and facilitate a task force concerning Lyme disease.

The task force shall discuss the prevalence, treatment, patient methodologies, legislative proposals, and board of medicine actions concerning Lyme disease and chronic Lyme disease.

The bill requires the task force to discuss any difficulty in diagnosing and availability of treatment of persons with chronic Lyme disease.

The bill also requires the task force to develop recommendations for tracking the disease, appropriate care protocols, and public awareness of chronic Lyme disease.

The bill also requires the recommendations to address the availability of diagnosis tools and treatment options for persons with chronic Lyme disease in the state.

The bill directs the task force to submit its findings and recommendations to the governor, general assembly, and the department of public health by December 15, 2014.

Several lawmakers told personal stories of family members who have contracted Lyme disease.

ABC 5 News reports on the case of  one chronic Lyme sufferer of 17 years who said, “It robbed me of my career, it robbed me of finances,” she said.

She went on to say, “I used to be a fun–loving, active, social person. I enjoyed going out and visiting with friends.”

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