Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman introduced legislation late last week to expand the county’s role in combating tick-borne illnesses. The legislation requires the division of Suffolk County Vector Control to submit a yearly plan to reduce the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

Suffolk County controls the spread of insect-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis through the division of vector control. To date, the division has focused its attention on mosquito-borne illnesses, despite the fact it was specifically created to focus on both mosquito and tick-borne illnesses. The annual budget for the division of Vector Control is $2.5 million.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports 300,000 yearly cases of Lyme disease....| read more ››