According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 22,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2023 in New York state. This includes a combined number of 779 reported cases between Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Niagara, and Erie counties.
As a result, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is pushing to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation named after the late North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan, who died from a rare tick-borne illness in 2019.
This would mean over $200 million going to fund research and programs that address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, including $30 million to provide the Department of Health and Human Services with the resources needed to extend the Kay Hagan Tick Act, $30 million to further CDC research, $9 million to support the Department of Defense's research, and $130 million for research at the National Institute of Health.
Gillibrand emphasizes that research and prevention are essential because with diseases like these, no one is invincible. There are roughly 20 known tick-borne illnesses, including rare ones that contributed to the passing of Hagan, yet there is only funding to identify at least two strains.
“The reason why we want to put it in [Hagan’s] name is because we just want senators and Congress members to know that no one is immune from these types of risks,” she said. “They can hit any family member, and any loved one at any time.”
Gillibrand said that environmental professionals attribute overall increases in New York State to global climate change.
“What happens during the winter is ticks die off because they freeze to death, but if the freeze days aren't long enough, or we don’t have as many freeze days, they don't die off, they stay alive on deer and other types of animals,” Gillibrand said. “Because of that changing of temperatures, the range of where ticks are located are changing. You used to not have them [ticks] in the far north, because you'd have a massive kill off of ticks every winter because of the cold.”
The New York State Department of Health reports that the Buffalo-Niagara region has an almost 50% risk score of encountering an infected adult deer tick.
As the weather gets warmer, tick-borne illnesses can affect public health significantly, and prevention is key.
Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein recommends keeping lawns and shrubs regularly mowed and avoiding exposing skin in heavily forested areas or areas with long grass.
“In recent years, the New York State Health Department has found that ticks in our region have tested positive for pathogens that cause anaplasmosis, a relapsing tick fever, Powassan Encephalitis, and babesiosis,” said Burstein. “Although these diseases are rare in humans, we do see them. And actually, I know a friend from downstate who was infected with a couple of these."
If bitten by a tick, it should be removed with a pair of fine-tip tweezers. The person who was bitten should be monitored closely for symptoms of a rash, fever, headaches, or swollen lymph nodes. It could take 24 to 36 hours for symptoms to develop, and diseases like these have to be treated aggressively.
