U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) wants to increase federal funding to research Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
In a press conference Thursday, Gillibrand reaffirmed her commitment to securing funding as a priority. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted through a bite from deer ticks.
She said research and prevention efforts have been historically underfunded.
Gillibrand noted that more than 16,000 cases of tick-related illness were reported across the state in 2022. The latest data also shows more than 3,000 possible cases on Long Island.
“New York deserves the freedom to spend time outdoors without worrying about facing serious illness from a tick bite. I will keep working with my colleagues in Congress to provide this necessary funding,” Gillibrand said.
In the government funding bill for next year, Gillibrand will propose nearly $200 million to support research and programs that address Lyme disease. The funding would include $130 million for the National Institutes of Health's research on Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
The proposed funding would include $30 million for the Department of Health and Human Services to implement a national strategy, $30 million for the Center for Disease Control and $9 million to support the Department of Defense's Tick-Borne Disease Research Program.
Because many military bases are located in regions with large tick populations, service members and their families are at particularly high risk for tick-borne illnesses.
Gillibrand said most military bases are located in states with high exposure, which poses a threat to military readiness and national security.
“As the influence of suburban development and climate change expand tick ranges and increase the risk of tick-borne illnesses, the threat to our families and service members and communities only grows,” Gillibrand said.
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