Bill Text: NJ AJR89 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates October 9 of each year as "Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus/Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Awareness Day."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-12-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [AJR89 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AJR89-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Designates October 9 of each year as "Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus/Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Awareness Day."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution designating October 9 of each year as "PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day."
Whereas, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus, or PANDAS, and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, or PANS, describe a condition most commonly found in children between three and 10 years of age that is characterized by the abrupt, dramatic onset of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD); and
Whereas, Unlike ordinary cases of OCD, which often manifest gradually over an extended period of time, parents of children with PANDAS/PANS can often describe the exact day the child suddenly began exhibiting the symptoms of full-fledged OCD; and
Whereas, Symptoms associated with PANDAS/PANS include repeated hand washing, opening and closing doors endlessly, asking the same questions over and over, personality changes including anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression, and behavioral regression, deterioration in school performance, sensory or motor abnormalities, sleep disturbances, and severely-restricted food intake; and
Whereas, PANDAS/PANS appears to be an autoimmune disorder triggered by an infection that masquerades as the body's own cells, prompting the immune system to attack both the infection and healthy cells; often the patient manifests no symptoms of the underlying infection; and
Whereas, When PANDAS was first described in 1998, the condition was strongly associated with streptococcus infection; since then, other infections have been associated with the condition, including Lyme Disease, mononucleosis, mycoplasma, and the flu; and
Whereas, Recognizing that the etiology of PANDAS may be not be associated with any single factor, in 2012 the National Institute of Mental Health defined the new category of PANS, which emphasizes the symptoms of the condition and deemphasizes its causes; PANDAS is now recognized as a subset of PANS; and
Whereas, The etiology, treatments, and long-term prognoses for PANDAS/PANS have not been thoroughly researched, and although the condition usually responds to one or more courses of treatment, diagnoses are often delayed by a lack of awareness of the condition among both the general public and the medical community; and
Whereas, One estimate suggests that there are at least 162,000 cases of PANDAS/PANS in the United States, which would make PANDAS/PANS as common as pediatric cancer and pediatric diabetes; and
Whereas, Children with PANDAS/PANS and their families would benefit from additional research and increased awareness of this condition; and
Whereas, PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day was first proclaimed in over 20 states and cities across the United States and in Italy on October 9, 2013; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper, as a matter of public health, to designate October 9 of each year as "PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day" in New Jersey; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. October 9 of each year is designated as "PANDA/PANS Awareness Day" to promote awareness and improve diagnosis, treatment, and scientific research of this condition.
2. The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation and call upon public officials, and all citizens of this State, to observe "PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day" with appropriate programs and activities.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution would designate October 9 of each year as "PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day" in New Jersey.
Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS) and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) describe a condition most commonly found in children between the ages of three and 10 years old that is characterized by the abrupt, dramatic onset of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Unlike ordinary cases of OCD, which often manifest gradually over an extended period of time, parents of children with PANDAS/PANS can often describe the exact day the child suddenly began exhibiting the symptoms of full-fledged OCD.
It is estimated that there are at least 162,000 cases of PANDAS/PANS in the United States, which means the condition may be as common as pediatric cancer and pediatric diabetes. Because PANDAS/PANS is an under-researched condition, its etiology, treatments, and long-term effects are not currently well understood, and diagnosis and treatment are often delayed by a lack of awareness of the condition.
"PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day" was first celebrated on October 9, 2013 in over 20 states and cities in the United States and Italy. It is the sponsor's hope that designating October 9 of each year as "PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day" in New Jersey will raise awareness of this condition.
