Lyme Disease

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PDF file click to open and read about Lymes Disease.....

I am including this information, as some of the symptoms mock so many autoimmune disorders.

Singer song writer Daryl Hall of "Hall & Oates" has Lyme's Disease.
You can watch his TV interviews in 2 parts on his symptoms, amazing you would think he had Lupus with his symptoms.
http://www.HallandOates.com

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July 15, 2008

My friend Anne and her husband, Richard, spend summers at a resort in Westchester County that has a swimming lake, tennis courts, gardens and beautiful grounds surrounded by woods. But Anne never sets foot on the grass.

The reason is Lyme disease. Anne says just about everyone she knows who partakes of the greenery and gardens outside the cabins has contracted the disease. So not only is she cautious about venturing out, but she and her husband also check each other daily from head to toe for the much-feared deer tick, which can transmit the disease when it attaches to skin and feeds on blood.

This tick, which is the size of a pinhead when it starts searching for a bloody meal, is responsible for about 20,000 reported cases of Lyme disease each year in the United States (the actual number is believed to be 10 times that) and 60,000 reported cases in Europe. Cases have been reported in every state, with residents of the Northeast, the Great Lakes region, northwestern Washington and parts of California the most frequent victims.

In some areas, as many as half of the deer ticks are infected with Borrelia, the Lyme disease bacteria. The disease got its name in 1975 from the first identified cluster of cases, among children in Lyme, Conn., who had rheumatoid-like symptoms of swollen, painful joints.

The white-tailed deer and white-footed mouse are the tick’s most frequent hosts, but it also feeds on birds, dogs and other rodents, including squirrels. The tiny nymphal form that emerges in spring and early summer presents the greatest hazard to humans. It is also the hardest to spot, especially on body parts covered with hair.

People usually acquire the tick while walking through grassy or wooded areas. Sometimes pet dogs are the source: in Minnesota one summer, our dog got more than 30 deer ticks on his face, apparently from sticking his nose into a fresh carcass. Unlike the common dog tick, which is round and very dark, the deer tick is elongated and brownish.

A Challenging Diagnosis

The disease can be maddeningly difficult to diagnose. Only 50 to 70 percent of patients recall being bitten by a tick. Ordinary laboratory tests are rarely helpful. Tests for antibodies to the bacterium or for its genetic footprints result in many false-negative and false-positive findings.

Rather, according to Dr. Robert L. Bratton and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., who reviewed the recent literature on Lyme disease in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, most cases are best diagnosed and treated based on patients’ symptoms. Thus, doctors everywhere must be alert when dealing with patients who live or travel in areas where Lyme disease is prevalent, and they must be willing to use appropriate antibiotics based on a clinical assessment rather than laboratory findings.

Since signs and symptoms vary and often do not appear until one to four weeks — or even months — after exposure, anyone bitten by a deer tick may be wise to obtain preventive treatment with an antibiotic, according to Lyme disease experts consulted by Constance A. Bean, the author with Dr. Lesley Ann Fein of the new book “Beating Lyme” (Amacom Books).

The most common sign is a reddish rash called erythema migrans that often resembles a spreading bull’s-eye, though up to 20 percent of patients never develop it. Common sites of the rash are the thigh, groin, buttock and underarm. It may be accompanied by flulike symptoms: fever, chills, body aches, headache and fatigue.

If untreated or inadequately treated, the infection can cause severe migrating joint pain and swelling, most often in the knees, weeks or months later. In addition, several weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection, the bacterium can cause meningitis, temporary facial paralysis, numbness or weakness of the arms and legs, memory and concentration difficulties and changes in mood, personality or sleep habits. Some untreated patients develop temporary heart rhythm abnormalities, eye inflammation or hepatitis.

Controversial Guidelines

Antibiotics for early Lyme disease should be taken for at least two to three weeks. The treatments recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America include doxycycline for nonpregnant patients and children 9 and older, or amoxicillin for pregnant women and younger children. Other options include cefuroxime axetil (Ceftin) and erythromycin.

But these guidelines are controversial. They have been challenged by a nonprofit medical group, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, which says they are inadequate to combat the infection in a significant number of patients, who go on to develop debilitating chronic symptoms.

In May, the Infectious Diseases Society agreed to review its guidelines as a result of an antitrust lawsuit by the Connecticut attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, who said some of the society’s experts had financial interests that could bias their judgment. (The society denied that accusation.)

Although I cannot state with authority which side is correct, I have encountered enough previously healthy people who have suffered for months or years after initial treatment to suggest that there is often more to this disease than “official” diagnostic and treatment guidelines suggest.

Pamela Weintraub, a senior editor at Discover magazine, has produced a thoroughly researched and well-written account of the disease’s controversial history in her new book “Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic” (St. Martin’s Press).

Treatment and Prevention

The Mayo doctors concluded that patients who developed arthritis related to Lyme disease should be treated for one to two months and that those with late or severe disease, including neurological and cardiac symptoms, required intravenous antibiotics. Although two studies, neither of which was long-term, found that repeated antibiotic treatment did not reverse the pain and altered cognition associated with Lyme disease, the experience of thousands of patients, including Ms. Bean, contradict these findings.

There are no vaccines to prevent Lyme disease; an early attempt was taken off the market in 2002 because of side effects and limited effectiveness. Those who will not or cannot avoid grassy and wooded areas should wear long sleeves and long pants with legs tucked into socks, and spray exposed skin and clothing with tick repellent containing 20 to 30 percent DEET. Repellents should not be used on children under 2.

Since the tick must usually feed for 24 hours to transmit significant amounts of bacteria, daily body checks and showering with a washcloth can help prevent infection. Clothing should be washed and dried in a dryer. Additional preventive actions are described in “Beating Lyme.”

If a tick is attached to skin, it should be removed with tweezers, not fingers. Press into the skin, grasp the front of the tick’s head and pull at right angles to the skin. Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag for later identification. Then wash the area and your hands thoroughly.
URL backtrack www.newyorktimes.com

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House passes chronic Lyme disease bill

04/30/2009


 Since 1997, Kent Haydock has led efforts to manage Darien's deer population and stop the spread of tick-borne Lyme disease.

Having known several people who suffered from the illness, and having been treated for it twice himself, he cannot believe there is a national debate over the existence of chronic Lyme disease.

"Why are people saying there's no such thing?" Haydock said.

He was glad to learn Thursday the state House of Representatives took a strong stand on the issue. In a 137-0 vote, members passed legislation to reassure doctors they will not face retaliation if they choose to diagnose chronic Lyme disease and treat it with long-term antibiotics.

The measure heads to the state Senate.

"It comes down on the side of people who suffer from Lyme in this big debate," said state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, a bill co-sponsor. "It says the scientific community can have that debate, but we're not going to let anybody else go without treatment."

Discovered in the mid-1970s in Connecticut, Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.

Symptoms can include fever, headache, fatigue and a rash. If untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

The commonly accepted treatment is up to 28 days of antibiotics.

Some patients -- including relatives of state Reps. Kim Fawcett, D-Fairfield, and Peggy Reeves, D-Wilton, who helped spearhead the bill --
are convinced they suffer from chronic Lyme disease and need extended courses of antibiotic treatment.

Although the state Department of Public Health does not expressly forbid long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease sufferers, the national Infectious Diseases Society has dismissed chronic Lyme disease as a myth.

In a February letter to Connecticut legislators, Anne Gershon, president of the Virginia-based society, wrote that chronic Lyme disease has been promoted by "a small group of physicians," and "there are no convincing published scientific data" supporting its existence.

She also cautioned about the hazards of long-term antibiotic use.

Those who believe in chronic Lyme disease argue the society's position makes physicians in Connecticut and nationwide fearful of being reported to the health department if they choose to recognize and treat chronic Lyme.

"There is a 'chill effect' " on doctors, said state Rep. Jason Bartlett, D-Bethel.

The chronic Lyme disease debate reached a fever pitch in Connecticut in recent years because of a case involving Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a New Haven pediatrician renowned for treating the illness. In December 2007, the state Medical Examining Board, responding to an investigation by the Department of Public Health, fined Jones $10,000 and put him on probation for two years for diagnosing children with Lyme disease and treating them with antibiotics before examining them.

Jones is appealing his case.

In 2008, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced an anti-trust investigation of the Infectious Disease Society uncovered "serious flaws" in how the group crafted 2006 Lyme disease guidelines, including an effort to "block" scientists and physicians with opposing views.

The society has convened a new panel to consider updated guidelines.

Fawcett said Connecticut's legislation was developed in consultation with the state Department of Public Health, which had expressed concerns early on, and the Connecticut State Medical Society.

A health department spokesman could not be reached for comment Thursday. The medical society has stated it is not taking a position on chronic Lyme disease, but it backs the legislation because it supports the right of doctors to treat patents as they deem fit.

The society's support of the legislation helped convince state Rep. John Hetherington, R-New Canaan, to vote in favor of the chronic Lyme disease bill Thursday.

"I had heard from several doctors who had said it was against good medical practice to apply antibiotics over an unlimited time," Hetherington said. "I was incorrect in assuming the weight of medical authority was against this bill."

Asked for a response to the House passage of the bill, Steve Baragona, the Infectious Disease Society's communications officer, referred to Gershon's previous letter.

Haydock said the bill would go a long way to providing relief for Lyme disease sufferers.

"Connecticut is the worst state [for Lyme], and Fairfield and New Haven counties are the worst in the state," Haydock said. "It's just devastating to hear these doctors can't prescribe what they know is correct."
SOURCE: Google

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Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that features a skin rash, swollen joints and flu-like symptoms. You get the disease from the bite of an infected tick. Sometimes it is hard to know if you have Lyme disease because you may not have noticed a tick bite. Also, many of its symptoms are like those of other diseases. Symptoms may include

* A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
* Fever
* Headache
* Muscle pain
* Stiff neck
* Swelling of knees and other large joints


Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi is the predominant cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Bor relia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are implicated in most European cases.
Borrelia is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected hard ticks belonging to several species of the genus Ixodes. Early manifestations of infection may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. Left untreated, late manifestations involving the joints, heart, and nervous system can occur. In a majority of cases, symptoms can be eliminated with antibiotics, especially if diagnosis and treatment occur early in the course of illness. Late, delayed, or inadequate treatment can lead to late manifestations of Lyme disease which can be disabling and difficult to treat.

Some patients with Lyme disease have fatigue, joint or muscle pain, and neurocognitive symptoms persisting for years despite antibiotic treatment Randomized controlled trials found that only fatigue, but not neurocognitive symptoms, were sometimes improved with prolonged antibiotic treatment.These trials identified significant side effects and risks of prolonged antibiotic therapy, and most expert groups including the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Neurology have found that existing scientific evidence does not support a role for Borrelia nor ongoing antibiotic treatment in such cases.

In the early stages, doctors look at your symptoms and medical history to figure out whether you have Lyme disease. In the later stages of the disease, lab tests can confirm whether you have it.
 
Symptoms


Stage 1 – Early localized infection
The classic sign of early local infection is a circular, outwardly expanding rash called erythema chronicum migrans (also erythema migrans or EM), which occurs at the site of the tick bite 3 to 32 days after being bitten. The rash is red, and may be warm, but is generally painless. Classically, the innermost portion remains dark red and becomes indurated; the outer edge remains red; and the portion in between clears – giving the appearance of a bullseye. However, the partial clearing is uncommon, and thus a true bullseye occurs in as few as 9% of cases.
Erythema migrans is thought to occur in about 80% of infected patients. Patients can also experience flu-like symptoms such as headache, muscle soreness, fever, and malaise.
Lyme disease can progress to later stages even in patients who do not develop a rash.
Stage 2 – Early disseminated infection
Within days to weeks after the onset of local infection, the borrelia bacteria may begin to spread through the bloodstream. Erythema migrans may develop at sites across the body that bear no relation to the original tick bite. Another skin condition, which is apparently absent in North American patients, is borrelial lymphocytoma, a purplish lump that develops on the ear lobe, nipple, or scrotum. Other discrete symptoms include migrating pain in muscles, joint, and tendons, and heart palpitations and dizziness caused by changes in heartbeat.
Acute neurological problems, which appear in 15% of untreated patients, encompasses a spectrum of disorders. One is facial or Bell's palsy, which is the loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face. Another common neurologic manifestation is meningitis, characterized by severe headaches, neck stiffness, and sensitivity to light. Radiculoneuritis causes shooting pains that may interfere with sleep and abnormal skin sensations. Mild encephalitis may lead to memory loss, sleep disturbances, or changes in mood or affect. In addition, simple altered mental status as the sole presenting symptom has been reported in early neuroborreliosis.

Stage 3 – Late persistent infection
After several months, untreated or inadequately treated patients may go on to develop severe and chronic symptoms affecting many organs of the body including the brain, nerves, eyes, joints and heart. Myriad disabling symptoms can occur.
Chronic neurologic symptoms occur in up to 5% of untreated patients.A polyneuropathy manifested primarily as shooting pains, numbness, and tingling in the hands or feet may develop. A neurologic syndrome called Lyme encephalopathy is associated w
ith subtle cognitive problems such as difficulties with concentration and short term memory. Such patients may also experience profound fatigue. Other problems such as depression and fibromyalgia are no more common in people who have been infected with Lyme than in the general population. Chronic encephalomyelitis, which may be progressive, may involve cognitive impairment, weakness in the legs, awkward gait, facial palsy, bladd
er problems, vertigo, and back pain. In rare cases, frank psychosis has been attributed to chronic Lyme disease effects, including mis-diagnoses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Panic attack and anxiety can occur, also delusional behavior, including somatoform delusions, sometimes accompanied by a depersonalization or derealization syndrome similar to what was seen in the past in the prodromal or early stages of general paresis.



Diagnosis
Lyme disease is diagnosed clinically based on symptoms, objective physical findings (such as erythema migrans, facial palsy, or arthritis), a history of possible exposure to infected ticks, as well as serological tests.
When making a diagnosis of Lyme disease, health care providers should consider other diseases that may cause similar illness. Not all patients with Lyme disease will develop the characteristic bulls-eye rash, and many may not recall a tick bite. Laboratory testing is not recommended for persons who do not have symptoms of Lyme disease.
Because of the difficulty in culturing Borrelia bacteria in the laboratory, diagnosis of Lyme disease is typically based on the clinical exam findings and a history of exposure to endemic Lyme areas. The EM rash, which does not occur in all cases, is conside
red sufficient to establish a diagnosis of Lyme disease even when serologies are negative. Serological testing can be used to support a clinically suspected case but is not diagnostic. Clinicians who diagnose strictly based on the CDC Case Definition for Lyme may be in error, since the CDC explicitly states that this definition is intended for surveillance purposes only and is "not intended to be used in clinical diagnosis."
Diagnosis of late-stage Lyme disease is often difficult because of the multi-faceted appearance which can mimic symptoms of many other diseases. For this reason, L
yme has often been called the new "great imitator".Lyme disease may be misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), lupus, or other autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
Lyme arthritis usually affects the knees. In a minority of patients arthritis can occur in other joints, including the ankles, elbows, wrist, hips, and shoulders. Pain is often mild or moderate, usually with swelling at the involved joint. Baker's cysts may form and rupture. In some cases joint erosion occurs.
Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) is a chronic skin disorder observed primarily in Europe. ACA begins as a reddish-blue patch of discolored skin, usually in sun-exposed20regions of the upper or lower limbs. The lesion slowly atrophies,
and the skin may become so thin that it resembles wrinkled cigarette paper.


Laboratory testing
Several forms of laboratory testing for Lyme disease are available, some of which have not been adequately validated. Most recommended tests are blood tests that measure antibodies made in response to the infection. These tests may be falsely negative in patients with early disease, but they are quite reliable for diagnosing later stages of disease.
The serological laboratory tests most widely available and employed are the Western blot and ELISA. A two-tiered protocol is recommended by the CDC: the more sensitive ELISA is performed first, if it is positive or equivocal, the more specific Western blot is run. The reliability of testing in diagnosis remains controversial,however studies show the Western blot IgM has a specificity of 94–9 6% for patients with clinical symptoms of early Lyme disease.
Erroneous test results have been widely reported in both early and late stages of the disease. These errors can be caused by several factors, including antibody cross-reactions from other infections including Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, as well as herpes simplex virus.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for Lyme disease have also been developed to detect the genetic material (DNA) of the Lyme disease spirochete. PCR tests are su
sceptible to false-positive results from poor laboratory technique.Even when properly performed, PCR often shows false-negative results with blood and CSF specimens.Hence PCR is not widely performed for diagnosis of Lyme disease. However PCR may have a role in diagnosis of Lyme arthritis because it is highly sensitive in detecting ospA=2 0DNA in synovial fluid. With the exception of PCR, there is no currently practical means for detection of the presence of the organism, as serologic studies only test for antibodies of Borrelia. High titers of either immunoglobulin G (IgG) or immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to Borrelia antigens indicate disease, but lower titers can be misleading. The IgM antibodies may remain after the initial infection, and IgG antibodies may remain for years.
Western blot, ELISA and PCR can be performed by either blood test via venipuncture or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via lumbar puncture. Though lumbar puncture is more definitive of diagnosis, antigen capture in the CSF is much more elusive; reportedly CSF yields positive results in only 10–30% of patients cultured. The diagnosis of neurologic infection by Borrelia should not be excluded solely on the basis of normal routine CSF or negative CSF antibody analyses.
New techniques for clinical testing of Borrelia infection have been developed, such as LTT-MELISA, which is capable of identifying the active form of Borrelia infection (Lyme disease). Others, such as focus floating microsco py, are under investigation.New research indicates chemokine CXCL13 may also be a possible marker for neuroborrel
iosis.
Some laboratories offer Lyme disease testing using assays whose accuracy and clinical usefulness have not been adequately established. These tests include urine antigen tests, immunofluorescent staining for cell wall-deficient forms of Borrelia burgdorferi, and lymphocyte transformation tests. In general, CDC does not recommend these tests.
Prevention


Management of host animals
Lyme and all other deer-tick-borne diseases can be prevented on a regional level by reducing the deer population that the ticks depend on for reproductive success. This has been demonstrated in the communities of Monhegan, Maine and in Mumford Cove, Connecticut. The black-legged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) depends on the white-tailed deer for successful reproduction.
For example, in the US, it is suggested that by reducing the deer population to levels of 8 to 10 per square mile (from the current levels of 60 or more deer per square mile in the areas of the country with the highest Lyme disease rates), the tick numbers can be brought down to levels too low to spread Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. However, such a drastic reduction may be impractical in many areas.
Vaccination
A recombinant vaccine against Lyme disease, based on the outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. burgdorferi, was developed by GlaxoSmithKline. In clinical trials i
nvolving more than 10,000 people, the vaccine, called LYMErix, was found to confer protective immunity to Borrelia in 76% of adults and 100% of children with only mild or moderate and transient adverse effects. LYMErix was approved on the basis of these trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 1998.
Following approval of the vaccine, its entry in clinical practice was slower than expected for a variety of reasons including its cost, which was often not reimbursed by insurance companies. Subsequently, hundreds of vaccine recipients reported that they had developed autoimmune side effects. Supported by some patient advocacy groups, a number of class-action lawsuits were filed against GlaxoSmithKline alleging that the vaccine had caused these health problems. These claims were investigated by the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), who found no connection between the vaccine and the autoimmune complaints.
Despite the lack of evidence that the complaints were caused by the vaccine, sales plummeted and LYMErix was withdrawn from the U.S. market by GlaxoSmithKline in February 2002 in the setting of negative media coverage and fears of vaccine side effects. The fate of LYMErix was described in the medical literature as a "cautionary tale"; an editorial in Nature cited the withdrawal of LYMErix as an instance in which "unfounded public fears place pressures on vaccine developers that go beyond reasonable safety considerations," while the original developer of the OspA vaccine at the Max Planck Institute told Nature:
"This just shows how irrational the world can be... There was no scientific justification for the first OspA vaccine [LYMErix] being pulled."
New vaccines are being researched using outer surface protein C (OspC) and glycolipoprotein as methods of immunization.
Tick removal
Many urban legends exist about the proper and effective method to remove a tick, however it is generally agreed that the most effective method is to pull it straight out with tweezers. Data have demonstrated that prompt removal of an infected tick, within approximately 36 hours, reduces the risk of transmission to nearly zero; however the small size of the tick, especially in the nymph stage, may make detection difficult.


Treatment


Antibiotic-resistant therapies


Antibiotic treatment is the central pillar in the management of Lyme disease. In the late stages of borreliosis, symptoms may persist despite extensive and repeated antibiotic treatment. Lyme arthritis which is antibiotic resistant may be treated with hydroxychloroquine or methotrexate. Experimental data are consensual on the deleterious consequences of systemic corticosteroid therapy. Corticosteroids are not indicated in Lyme disease.
Antibiotic refractory patients with neuropathic pain responded well to gabapentin monotherapy with residual pain after intravenous ceftriaxone treatment in a pilot study. The immunomodulating, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory potential of minocycline may be helpful in late/chronic Lyme disease with neurological or other inflammatory manifestations. Minocycline is used in other neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ALS.

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May is Lyme disease month

The California Legislature designated May 2009 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in a bill sponsored by First District Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro.

"Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection that is commonly misunderstood," says Chesbro.

Early indications of infection of Lyme disease can include a bull's-eye rash and flu-like symptoms. If treated immediately, Lyme disease can usually be cured but if misdiagnosed or untreated, it can cause long-term health problems.

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Lyme Disease Is Spreading In Canada, And Physicians Are Crucial In Helping Minimize Its Impact

June 10, 2009
Lyme disease is emerging in Canada, and is expected to increase with climate change, but effective, enhanced surveillance and clinician awareness will be key to minimizing the impact of the disease, write researchers in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks which feed on animal or human hosts. It begins with a skin lesion that expands and if untreated, can result in facial palsy, meningitis, cardiac issues and progress to nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (encephalomyelitis).

Epidemiological understanding about a patient's likely exposure to ticks is key, as serological testing is insensitive in the early stages of disease but can be useful in the later stages.

Current passive surveillance for ticks has identified new endemic areas in Canada but additional methods are needed to identify emerging areas of Lyme disease. Populations of the tick (Ixodes scapularis) are emerging in southern Ontario, Nova Scotia, southeastern Manitoba, New Brunswick and southern Quebec. Tick populations (I. pacificus) are widespread in southern British Columbia, although the prevalence of the Lyme disease agent (Borrelia burgdorferi) in those populations is lower than in the tick spreading in the east.

Vigilance by clinicians will help in disease surveillance and in prompt treatment. An important role of surveillance will be to inform the public and physicians about local risks and what to do for prevention and early diagnosis of Lyme disease.

"Lyme disease is emerging in Canada, and effective, enhanced surveillance needs to be instigated, and physician awareness of Lyme disease will be crucial to minimizing the impact of the disease," write Dr. Nicholas Ogden from the Public Health Agency of Canada and coauthors.



Journal reference:

1.Ogden et al. The emergence of Lyme disease in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2009; 180 (12): 1221 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.080148
Adapted from materials provided by Canadian Medical Association Journal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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 MLA Canadian Medical Association Journal (2009, June 8). Lyme Disease Is Spreading In Canada, And Physicians Are Crucial In Helping Minimize Its Impact. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 10, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/06/090608182551.htm

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Senate bill targets Lyme disease 

6/26/2009 
Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine teamed up Thursday to introduce the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act of 2009.

The bill is co-sponsored by Democratic senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and Benjamin Cardin of Maryland.

”Approximately 20,000 Americans contract Lyme disease each year, and the numbers are rising,” Dodd said in a news release.

The bill would require that the Secretary of Health and Human Services establish a tick-borne diseases advisory committee to address tick-borne diseases with other federal agencies and private organizations, according to the news release. It also requires public education, a physician education program and scientific conferences on tick-borne diseases.

Connecticut-based Time for Lyme said it supports the bill because it would provide “desperately needed funding” for research and prevention.