LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim October 9, 2013, as PANDAS/PITAND/PANS Awareness Day in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official
days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious illnesses that
affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to memorial-
ize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 9, 2013, as PANDAS/
PITAND/PANS Awareness Day in the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, PANDAS, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Asso-
ciated with Streptococcal Infections, is the sudden onset of OCD often
displayed as severe anxiety and emotional disturbances plus two or more
of the following symptoms: tics or other abnormal movements; severe
separation anxiety, generalized anxiety; irritability, emotional labili-
ty, aggression, personality changes; ADHD, inability to concentrate;
sensory sensitivities; deterioration in learning abilities and school
performance; developmental and age regression (including deterioration
in handwriting); sleep and nighttime difficulties; and/or urinary
frequency or daytime/nighttime secondary enuresis; and
WHEREAS, The onset of symptoms is corresponding to an infection,
usually strep; PANDAS children may have moderate to dramatic improvement
with antibiotics within one week of treatment, however, further inter-
ventions may be needed; and
WHEREAS, How to stop the entire syndrome is still debated, but many
parents and doctors report prolonged antibiotics (two months to one
year) and/or IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatment or plasmaphore-
sis; and
WHEREAS, PITAND, Pediatric Infection-Triggered Autoimmune Neuropsy-
chiatric Disorders, is similar to PANDAS in terms of presentation;
however, it consists of a broader list of possible triggers, not only
strep; triggers may include Mycoplasma Pneumonia, Mono, Lyme, viruses,
and more; and
WHEREAS, PANS, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes, is a
new classification introduced in the 2012 research paper FROM RESEARCH
SUBGROUP TO CLINICAL SYNDROME: MODIFYING THE PANDAS CRITERIA TO DESCRIBE
PANS; and
WHEREAS, PANS is broader than PANDAS and PITAND as it includes not
only disorders associated with a preceding infection, but also acute-on-
set non-infectious triggers, such as environmental and metabolic; no
treatment plan for this syndrome has been defined at this time, but
treatment plans similar to PANDAS should be attempted; and
WHEREAS, The three criteria for PANS are: abrupt, dramatic onset of
obsessive-compulsive disorder or severely restricted food intake;
concurrent presence of additional neuropsychiatric symptoms, with simi-
larly severe and acute onset; and symptoms are not better explained by a
known neurological or medical disorder; and
WHEREAS, A conservative estimate of the prevalence of PANDAS/PANS
cases in the United States alone is 162,000; however, the true preva-
lence of PANDAS/PANS is not known; and
WHEREAS, PANDAS/PANS is likely as common as illnesses like Pediatric
Cancer, Pediatric Diabetes, and ALS, and can seriously affect the heal-
thy outcome of a child's life; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 500,000 children are diagnosed with OCD in the
United States; and roughly 148,000 children are diagnosed with Tourette
Syndrome in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 2009, PANDAS Network.org is a non-profit organiza-
tion that raises awareness of PANDAS onset and course of illness by
providing: an ongoing database of new PANDAS cases (over 1,000 tracked
thus far); parent referrals to support groups and physicians; a conduit
for new researchers to navigate collaborations and new treating physi-
cians to find information; online newsletters to parents and physicians
about latest research; and information that is medically accurate and
reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Board; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of
this serious health issue, and more must be done to increase activity at
the local, State and national levels; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 9, 2013, as
PANDAS/PITAND/PANS Awareness Day in the State of New York; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York, and PANDAS Network.org.