IL HR0780

Urges the federal government to allocate more funding toward finding a cure for Lyme disease, citing it as a growing public health crisis with rising cases in Illinois.

Notes that Lyme disease receives less than 2 percent of West Nile virus research funding and less than 0.2 percent of HIV/AIDS research funding despite higher annual case counts than both diseases.

States that 35,000 to 45,000 cases are officially reported annually to the CDC, but an estimated 476,000 cases occur due to underreporting, and up to 60 percent of acute cases are misdiagnosed.

Encourages the Illinois Department of Education to implement health education programs on preventing tick bites for children, identified as the highest risk group for tick-borne diseases.

Declares May 2022 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in Illinois.