Lyme Disease, a misunderstood and often misdiagnosed illness that afflicts many residents of the Cape and Islands, will now be the subject of a special state commission to study the disease’s incidence and impacts, reports Cape and Islands State Senator Dan Wolf (D-Harwich).

The creation of a special commission on Lyme Disease, as sponsored by Senator Wolf, Senator Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln), and several other Senators, was authorized by the Massachusetts Senate Thursday afternoon.

“This commission is an important step in gathering information about Lyme Disease, and educating the public about its devastating effects,”said Senator Wolf. “It’s time for Lyme to be much better understood, for everyone to finally and fully recognize it for the scourge it is.”

Comprised of 21 people, the commission will include public health professionals and medical providers, elected representatives, members of local boards of health, and advocates and patients who have suffered from the disease. They are authorized to examine and make recommendations about all aspects of Lyme, including whether public screening for Lyme in high-risk areas like the Cape and Islands is desirable, how to implement education campaigns, whether state-wide campaigns to test for tick-borne illnesses are feasible, whether conventional medical treatment for Lyme is the best recourse, and whether insurance company policies regarding reimbursement for that treatment are sufficient.

The commission will issue its report to the legislature and general public next April.