Rock Island Today

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, cases are on the rise in the state. Lyme disease, a bacterial infection caused by several different strains of bacteria carried and spread by ticks, is a growing national public health crisis. Infected individuals suffer from fever, fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes and in severe cases can be afflicted by serious joint and nervous system problems.

In the United States, 35,000 to 45,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year; however, it is estimated that only one out of every ten cases is reported. Since the late 20th century, there has been a dramatic increase in the Lyme disease infection rate each year. In fact, infection rates have doubled since 1991 making Lyme disease one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United States and the western world.

Diagnosing Lyme disease presents its own challenges. Diagnostic tests analyze blood samples for antibodies which may not be detectable until many weeks after initial tick bite and infection. Up to 60% of acute cases are misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis followed by sufficient antibiotics may lead to quick recovery but delayed diagnosis or insufficient antibiotics therapy can result in chronic symptoms.

Recent research seemingly validates chronic Lyme disease diagnoses suggesting dormant bacterial cells remain in the body after standard antibiotic courses are completed. These cells evade antibiotics and immune response before reinfecting individuals causing terrible symptoms that often make working impossible.

Despite having annual case counts dwarfing those of West Nile virus and HIV/AIDS, Lyme disease research receives less than two percent of public funding allocated for West Nile virus research and less than 0.2 percent compared to HIV/AIDS research funding.

The federal government needs to allocate more funding toward finding a cure for this increasingly prevalent public health crisis. The Illinois State Board of Education should also begin health education programs on preventing tick bites, particularly for children who represent the highest risk group for tick-borne diseases.

Rural ambulance services in Illinois have been facing challenges due to poor reimbursement rates from the federal government. To help these services continue safeguarding local residents, legislation was passed this session following last year's legislation allowing the creation of emergency service districts crossing municipal lines so communities can share ambulance service costs.

The recently passed House Bill 4179 will allow ambulance districts to increase their maximum levy from the current rate of 0.4% of equalized assessed valuation up to 0.8%, subject to approval by local taxpayers in a referendum vote. This would give voters the right to decide if they want more ambulance service and if they are willing to pay for it. Currently, the federal government only reimburses about 40% of ambulance services’ costs through Medicare and Medicaid.

On Sunday afternoon, Representative Dan Swanson attended the Quad Cities Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service at Sacred Heart Catholic Church followed by a vehicular procession to the Rock Island County Justice Center’s Law Enforcement Memorial site. The names of each of the 49 Quad City area Officers killed in line of duty were read out, including their department and date of their End of Watch.

In other news, experts fear catastrophic college declines due to botched FAFSA rollout; Illinois becomes the 20th state to discover invasive Asian longhorned tick; preparations are underway for county fair season; and USPS is urging homeowners to fix their mailboxes.