WHEREAS, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) are serious medical issue that affects the lives of many children across North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, children with PANS and PANDAS experience the onset of three or more of the following neuropsychiatric symptoms: OCD, tics, restricted eating, emotional lability, depression, irritability, aggression, oppositional behaviors, behavioral regression, deterioration in handwriting, loss of math skills, sensory or motor abnormalities, sleep disturbances, enuresis, urinary frequency; and
WHEREAS, based on estimates of incidence from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) experts, PANS and PANDAS likely impact around 1 in 200 children in the United States; and
WHEREAS, lack of awareness has led to misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose most children with PANDAS/PANS in the State of North Carolina despite the fact that treatment is often as simple as generic antibiotics and over the counter anti-inflammatories; and
WHEREAS, lack of recognition and failure to diagnose often leads to increased costs to taxpayers from children requiring special services within the school system and intensive in-patient psychiatric care covered by Medicaid; and
WHEREAS, PANS and PANDAS can be very serious disorders in which some children have been lost to suicide due to lack of treatment or insufficient treatment; and
WHEREAS, Foundation For Children With Neuroimmune Disorders is a 501c3 non-profit corporation that advocates for all children with these conditions to be promptly diagnosed and treated appropriately within their own communities; who aim to accomplish this by sponsoring medical provider education, working with insurance companies, and reaching out to schools, families, and therapists to increase awareness; and
WHEREAS, greater awareness is necessary to prevent needless suffering of children and families of North Carolina;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2022, as “PANS/PANDAS AWARENESS DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.