House approves Lyme disease bill

Hartford (WTNH) - The Connecticut House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill designed to give doctors a freer hand in prescribing for Lyme disease.

This bill is aimed at having Connecticut doctors join their colleagues in New York and Rhode Island in treating the disease named for the Connecticut shoreline town.

"The hundreds and hundreds of e-mails that I received of personal stories of people impacted by this disease was just overwhelming," said Rep. Kim Fawcett (D-Fairfield).

As News Channel 8 reported earlier this month, the tick-born disease has driven many Connecticut residents out of state for treatment because Connecticut doctors are afraid to prescribe as much antibiotic as they think might be necessary because the state Department of Public Health has opposed it. But for many lawmakers, the issue strikes too close to home.

"I come from personal experience, having suffered with Lyme disease myself and in addition to that, two of my children have had it, one of them twice. And in addition to that, our family dog had Lyme Disease," said Rep. David Scribner (R-Brookfield).

"I had no idea what, last July, was going to present to me when my husband was diagnosed with a life threatening case of Lyme disease," said Rep. Fawcett.

State Representative Jason Bartlett has made this his cause because his mother has chronic Lyme disease. Seeing the bill pass unanimously today means doctors here are closer to the day when they can diagnose and prescribe the way they want.

"To give doctors the protection against the Department of Public Health for practicing medicine the way that they feel is necessary," Rep. Bartlett said.

Bartlett says he has plenty of support in the state Senate.