Section 192.026

Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

Chapter 192

Effective - 28 Aug 2026, see footnote   

  192.026.  Missouri Lyme disease eradication act — definitions — confirmed or suspected cases, report to department — annual report — rules. — 1.  Sections 103.190 and 192.026 to 192.029 shall be known and may be cited as the "Missouri Lyme Disease Eradication Act".

  2.  As used in sections 103.190 and 192.026 to 192.029, the following terms shall mean:

  (1)  "Department", the department of health and senior services;

  (2)  "Lyme disease", a condition caused by an infection of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia mayonii, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia valaisiana, or Borrelia lusitaniae, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) or other ticks, as defined by the national reporting case definition and posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System;

  (3)  "Medically necessary", health care services or products that a treating health care provider exercising prudent clinical judgment would provide to a patient for the purpose of preventing, evaluating, diagnosing, or treating an illness, injury, disease, or symptoms of such, and that are:

  (a)  Clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent, site, and duration for the specific circumstances; and

  (b)  Not primarily for the mere convenience of the patient, health care provider, or as determined by the provider based on the patient's specific circumstances;

  (4)  "Posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome", a condition characterized by persistent symptoms, including, but not limited to, fatigue, pain, respiratory impairment, neurological impairment, or other cognitive impairment following standard antibiotic or other treatment for Lyme disease.

  3.  Health care providers, laboratories, and local health departments shall report to the department all confirmed or suspected cases of Lyme disease within three days of diagnosis using standardized surveillance case definitions developed by the CDC.  Any patient who receives a positive or suspected diagnosis of Lyme disease shall be given the option to opt in to having their identifiable information shared with the department, local public health officials, or the CDC.

  4.  The department shall compile an annual report on the incidence and prevalence of Lyme disease in Missouri, including, but not limited to, demographic data, geographic distribution, treatment outcomes, and barriers to care.  The department shall submit the report to the CDC and the general assembly and make such report available to the public on the department's website by no later than December thirty-first of each year.

  5.  The department shall collaborate with the University of Missouri or any public four-year institution of higher education to integrate Lyme disease surveillance data into existing tick-borne disease monitoring programs.

  6.  Any information collected or reported under this section shall be done in a manner that protects individually identifiable or potentially identifiable information and that is consistent with state and federal privacy laws.

  7.  The department may promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of sections 192.026 to 192.028.  Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028.  This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void.

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(L. 2026 H.B. 2372, L. 2026 S.B. 1019)

Revisor's Note: This section was enacted by both H.B. 2372 and S.B. 1019, 2026. S.B. 1019 repealed the version enacted by H.B. 2372 effective 8-28-26.