Cuomo Signs Lyme Law

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week signed into law a bill designed to protect licensed physicians from sanction by the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct for prescribing long-term antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease.

The law, which was co-sponsored by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., was among recommendations by the Senate Majority Coalition’s task force on Lyme and tickborne diseases in order to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of such diseases in the state.

Because some individuals infected with Lyme may benefit from medical treatment that is not universally accepted by the medical community, the task force report recommended a “flexible, case-specific” policy regarding appropriate treatment.

The new law, according to a press release by State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, a co-chairman of the task force, “ensures that determinations of effective and appropriate treatment of Lyme and other illnesses remain in the hands of medical professionals. . . .”

In his own press release, Assemblyman Thiele said that some physicians have been the subject of state disciplinary action for providing treatment to patients who have Lyme disease symptoms, but whose tests have come back negative. “Lyme disease is a complicated illness to treat as well as to properly test for, as symptoms vary from patient to patient,” he wrote in the release. 

“The extent and severity of the Lyme disease cases on the East End has escalated to the point of a public health crisis. Physicians should not be afraid to offer proper treatment. Early treatment can save lives,” Mr. Thiele said.

The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates 300,000 cases of Lyme disease each year, with the vast majority in the Northeast. J.P.