WHEREAS, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) are serious inflammatory brain conditions caused by a misdirected immune response; and

WHEREAS, children with PANS and PANDAS generally experience the onset of three or more symptoms – including obsessive-compulsive disorder, 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, and urinary frequency – which can cause severe physical and emotional distress; and

WHEREAS, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health are currently engaged in extensive research and testing on how to effectively treat these disorders; and

WHEREAS, the PANDAS Physician Network nonprofit organization estimates that of the 1-2% of all children who are diagnosed with OCD, about 1/10th of these also meet the criteria for PANS; and

WHEREAS, estimates of the prevalence of PANS and PANDAS are 1 in 200 in the United States alone, likely as common as Pediatric Cancer and Juvenile Diabetes, and it can seriously affect the healthy outcome of a child’s life; and

WHEREAS, treatment is often as simple as generic antibiotics or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication; and

WHEREAS, a lack of awareness can lead to the misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose many children suffering from PANS and PANDAS and increased costs to taxpayers from children requiring additional special services within the school system, intensive inpatient psychiatric and residential care paid by Medicaid, and disability insurance payments if the disease remains untreated; and

WHEREAS, this month, the Commonwealth of Virginia joins in the cause to increase awareness, support quicker and more accurate diagnoses, and encourage greater support for all children and families affected by PANS and PANDAS across Virginia;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize October 9, 2023, as PANS/PANDAS AWARENESS DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.