One of the biggest legislative victories for Mercer County in 2018 involved 13 year old Lauryn Russell and specifically the “Lauryn Russell Lyme Disease Prevention & Protection Law”. The legislation was sponsored by local State Rep. Dan Swanson. The bill allows physicians to prescribe more aggressive treatment for Lyme Disease. Lauryn’s mother discussed her daughter’s plight on WRMJ earlier this year.
Swanson says advocates for Lyme Disease sufferers contended the previous recommended treatment of the disease, 10 to 21 days of antibiotics, was insufficient for people with advanced or chronic levels of the disease, such the case for Russell, who has battled the disease for three years. Nine states have enacted similar legislation including: Iowa, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Virginia.