Senator Schumer (D-NY) signed on to a bill to increase education on tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease, the Powassan virus, and Borelli miyamotoi, reports Longisland.com.  According to Fox 40, Senator Schumer’s support comes after deadly tick-borne diseases were discovered in New York.  One of these, the Powassan virus, was found upstate and in the Hudson Valley, reports the New York Daily News.

The bill, called the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act expands research to help medical professionals improve diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.  Also supported by Senators Blumenthal, Gillibrand, Reed, Lautenberg, Whitehouse, Franken, and Klobuchar, the bill makes findings about the nature and impact of tick-borne disease, establishes a Tick-Borne Disease Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services, provides for federal activities for diagnosis, surveillance, prevention, and research of tick-borne diseases, and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide a report to Congress on the activities performed under the bill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are a number of different types of disease-causing pathogens carried by ticks in the U.S.  In addition to Lyme disease, which is well-known, other conditions include babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Rickettsiosis.  Conditions vary based on the type of tick and the region of the U.S.  The CDC identifies the most common symptoms of tick-borne illness as fever, chills, aches and pains, and a rash, which can be distinctive to the specific illness in many cases.  In order to prevent infection, the CDC suggests that reducing exposure is the best method.  Currently, researchers are working on a vaccine for Lyme disease, reports an earlier National Monitor article.

One of the other conditions that has raised alarms, garnering Senator Schumer’s support for the bill, is Borelli miyamotoi.  Transferred by deer ticks, this bacterium has already affected 100,000 people in New York alone, reports CBS New York.  Unfortunately, it is more likely to be misdiagnosed because medical providers are unfamiliar with the condition.  Also, unlike many other tick-borne illnesses, Borelli miyamotoi does not have the characteristic skin rash or a specific test to confirm its presence.  However, antibiotics will also clear up this infection in most cases.

Powassan virus, which has also been found in New York, was first discovered in 1958, reports the Minnesota Department of Health.  The virus can be carried by the same tick that spreads Lyme disease, as well as a related tick species.  Fatal in up to 30 percent of cases, this virus attacks the central nervous system, resulting in encephalitis and meningitis.