August 24, 2026
By State Senator Tom O’Mara
Earlier this year, the state Senate adopted a resolution I co-sponsored once again proclaiming the month of May as “Lyme Disease Awareness Month” across New York State.
The resolution stated, in part, “Lyme Disease Awareness Month provides an opportunity to focus on this significant and complex disease, to provide information on and raise public awareness of its causes, effects and treatments, and to underscore important education and research efforts surrounding Lyme and tick-borne diseases.”
Education, prevention, and research surrounding Lyme and all other tick-borne diseases (TBDs) has been a longstanding focus for me personally, as well as for the Legislature as a whole, going back more than a decade. It was in 2013, in fact, when the state Senate Republican Majority at that time established a Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases, on which I served as a member. The task force worked over the next several years to continually review research, consult with experts, conduct public hearings, and develop legislation and other recommendations which would ultimately be incorporated into what has become a more comprehensive New York State action plan on Lyme and TBDs. That was our overriding goal then and it needs to remain so now: to continually strengthen a statewide plan that will serve as a comprehensive roadmap for improving research, education, prevention and protection, diagnosis, and treatment.
In 2016, two important pieces of legislation proposed by our task force became law and sparked initiatives that continue to be carried out to this day:
> Senate Bill Number 5803 (Chapter 167 of the Laws of 2016) required the state Department of Health (DOH) to design, develop and disseminate an aggressive, comprehensive and statewide public awareness, education and prevention campaign to reduce the public’s exposure to Lyme and other tick-borne infectious diseases. It recognized the effectiveness and importance of early education and prevention in preventing the spread of these diseases; and
> Senate Bill Number 5804 (Chapter 109 of the Laws of 2016) complemented the statewide DOH awareness campaign by requiring the development of age-appropriate instructional materials and tools that would be made available to schools and libraries to help reach school-age children with the awareness and prevention message. Supporters of that initiave cited an increasing demand from schools and libraries for instructional materials geared towards children.
Fast forward to 2026 and the need for awareness, education, research, reporting, prevention, and treatment policies and programs remains as urgent as ever. Southern Tier and Finger Lakes health professionals annually issue warnings about TBDs, particularly Lyme disease but also anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, AGS, and other diseases including, although rare, Powassan virus disease.
Earlier this year, at the beginning of the warm weather season, New York State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “As the weather warms up and we get outside, it’s important to remember, ticks live here too, and to them, we are a food source. Tick bites can transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. Ticks can be found in many areas across New York and the best way to prevent tick-borne illness is to follow a few simple steps. Keep yourself, kids, pets, and loved ones safe by looking for ticks on your body and removing them, wearing appropriate clothing, and using insect repellant.”
These warnings and reminders remain active throughout tick season in New York State, which extends throughout the fall and into November.
Widespread public information continues to be essential and fundamental in addressing this ongoing concern. The state DOH website, https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/, offers valuable information on prevention and protection (for you and your pets), tick removal, disease identification and treatment, and links to many other worthwhile resources.
The Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences also provides information on its website, “Don’t Get Ticked New York”: https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/ticks.
According to DOH, the state has averaged more than 17,500 new cases of Lyme disease each year over the last three years, with nearly 19,000 cases reported in 2024 alone. Recent data from the SUNY Upstate Medical University Tick Testing Lab revealed tick submissions for testing jumped 145 percent between 2024 and 2025. Researchers estimate about one-third of ticks tested in New York carry bacteria or parasites that can cause illness in humans.
In other words, stay alert. Stay smart and know the recommended precautionary measures. Prevention is key.
“We are seeing an increase in prevalence in tick-borne diseases across the state. Year by year, we see more and more…we want people to be prepared and hopefully avoid bites as much as they can,” said Associate Director of the Tick-Borne Disease Research Center Dr. Amanda Roome at a public symposium sponsored by the Binghamton University-based center earlier this year.
At the same time, state-level investments in research, education, and prevention initiatives to continue combatting Lyme and TBDs must be ongoing and continually updated and strengthened. As I noted, important actions and investments over the past decade have helped broaden the state’s overall response to the spread of Lyme and TBDs, and it has made a difference on the local level. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done, particularly in the areas of reporting, testing and treatment, and education and awareness.
Toward that end, for example, members of the Senate Republican conference continue to put forth legislation I strongly support to, among other initiatives, bolster reporting requirements; undertake an examination of the impact on health insurance costs and quality of measures requiring health care coverage for long- term and chronic Lyme and TBDs; establish state grants for graduate medical education in Lyme and TBDs; and designate organizations as Centers of Excellence for the enhancement and furtherance of Lyme and TBD research and development, among others. We have also pushed back in opposition to Governor Hochul’s proposals to cut funding for specific Lyme and TBD programs.
Lyme and all other TBDs are debilitating diseases that are a major concern for the ever-increasing numbers of New Yorkers who enjoy the outdoors. It’s a serious public health threat that demands our attention and action. We’re continuing to work to encourage and implement state- and federal-level action plans and a comprehensive response. Those who suffer from Lyme and other TBDs can endure years of frustration seeking effective diagnosis and treatment. We keep working to raise awareness and education, as well as enhance prevention, reporting, and treatment strategies.
