By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Earlier this week, New York state Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $16 million in federal funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases is included in the recently passed bipartisan government funding package.

Lyme
Erythema migrans/James Gathany

The $16 million in funding amounts to a $2 million increase over last year’s level.

The senators additionally announced that the Department of Defense’s Tick Borne Disease Research Program will remain funded at $7 million.

Schumer and Gillibrand also delivered $5 million in new funding for the Kay Hagan Tick Act — co-sponsored by the senators — to require the CDC to enhance surveillance of Lyme and tick-borne diseases and fund the Centers of Excellence for Lyme and tickborne disease.

“Upstate New York has felt the brutal bite of Lyme disease and tick-borne diseases for years now, and thankfully this sorely-needed increase in CDC funding and the Kay Hagan Tick Act will provide the resources needed to strike back,” said Senator Schumer. “New Yorkers and their children shouldn’t have to worry that spending time in their backyards will leave them with a debilitating ailment like Lyme disease, and this funding will help prevent that. I was proud to lead the charge in securing the crucial funding to combat the spread of tick-borne diseases throughout New York and will keep fighting until we can stamp out these pernicious diseases.”

The funding for the CDC, secured by Schumer and Gillibrand, will specifically be used to target vector-borne pathogens which cause diseases in humans. The funding will contribute to a better understanding of when, where, and how people become exposed to vector-borne pathogens, as well as boost prevention efforts related to vector-borne pathogens and mitigate potential consequences of infection. Additionally, the funding will be used to help implement vector-borne disease diagnostics, surveillance, control, and prevention programs.

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