WHEREAS, Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) results after antibodies that are normally created in response to an infection mistakenly attack the basal ganglia in the brain resulting in neurologic or psychiatric symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, and Tourette syndrome; and

WHEREAS, Misdiagnoses address the apparent symptoms with psychiatric and psychological treatment, but ignore the underlying infection and result in ineffective treatment; and

WHEREAS, Without proper diagnoses as a neuropsychiatric syndrome and clinical treatment, PANS can result in debilitating conditions that have a significant impact on the lives of those affected; and

WHEREAS, Families affected by PANS often experience problems such as misdiagnoses, difficulty finding a medical expert, lack of access to treatment, and high treatment costs; and

WHEREAS, While the public is familiar with some rare diseases and disorders, many patients and families affected by the less widely known PANS bear a large share of the burden of funding research and raising public awareness to support the search for treatments; and

WHEREAS, Residents of California are among those affected by these rare disorders because nearly 1 percent of the pediatric population in the United States suffers from PANS; and

WHEREAS, Every year, on October 9th, a nationwide observance of PANS and associated disorders is organized by patients, medical professionals, researchers, government officials, and companies developing treatments; and

WHEREAS, This year, observance of National PANS Awareness Day will take place on October 9, 2018; now, therefore, be it