NY Governor Signs Lyme Bill
Governor Cuomo signed the Lyme doctor protection bill into law in NY. The legislature and Governor have agreed to some kind of amendment, however, and that amendment has not yet […]
HHS Chief Data Scientist Interview on Lyme Initiative
Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Chief Data Scientist and Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health, Kristen Honey, recently gave an interview on HHS’s Lyme Innovation initiative with Nextgov.
US Naval War College Professor Combats Harmful Lyme Myths
Dr. Montgomery McFate, Professor, U.S. Naval War College, published, “The Myths of Lyme Disease: Separating Fact from Fiction for Military Personnel,” in Joint Force Quarterly, 100, Feb. 16, 2021. Dr. McFate addresses, in the well-cited article, many damaging myths regarding Lyme that have proliferated in the medical system since its discovery over 40 years ago. She describes how these myths harm military personnel, a population that is particularly at risk for exposure to Lyme disease.
Johns Hopkins Lyme Research Center Challenges IDSA Guidelines & Addresses Lyme-COVID
Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center’s recently released Winter 2021 Newsletter addresses the confusing new IDSA guidelines, calls attention to the similarities between common COVID-19 long hauler symptoms and persistent Lyme disease, as well as provides insights to significant advances made by their Lyme disease clinical research program, despite challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New IDSA Guidelines/Failure to Commandeer Patient Chapter/#GivingTues/New Test for Lyme/CO Ticks/Updated COVID Protocol/Canine-Human Lyme Data/Next WG Meeting/LDA Thanks 51 Groups/DoD: Funds Lyme Vaccine
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) announced on November 30, 2020, new guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease. Among the treatment recommendations, the guidelines recommend oral antibiotic therapy for most patients with Lyme disease.
Sentinel Canine and Human Seroprevalence Data Provide Insight to Number of Lyme Infections
A new study published in Infectious Disease Modelling examines the relationships between incidence, prevalence, and total infection burden for Lyme borreliosis (LB) using sentinel canine and human seroprevalence data.
The researchers developed two models to estimate LB cases. One analyzed seroprevalence of Borrelia infections in human samples, applying corrections for false negative and false positive results from published test sensitivity and specificity measures.
Dr. Horowitz In Vivo Dapsone Combination Therapy Study Published
Richard Horwitz, MD, et al., have published a new case study and retrospective chart review of 40 patients on double dose dapsone combination therapy (DDD CT) in the journal Antibiotics.
The study found that of the 40 patients analyzed, an 8-week course of dapsone combined with doxycycline and rifampin effectively improved symptoms in 98% of patients, as well as led to long-term remission in 45% of the total patients studied, even though most of the individuals were ill for a decade or longer.
HHS, Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Announce “LymeX” Partnership
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation announced a
new $25 million-dollar, public-private partnership – the LymeX Innovation Accelerator (LymeX).
The HHS website states, “Our LymeX mission is to strategically advance Lyme and tickborne disease solutions in direct collaboration with Lyme patients, patient advocates, and diverse stakeholders across academia, nonprofits, industry, and government.”
Researchers Examine the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Timely TBD Diagnosis
A study published in the journal Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease addresses the observed negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the timely diagnosis of tick-borne infections (TBD) in three adult patients.
DE Legislature Declares Lyme Awareness Month
Delaware Legislature Declares Lyme Awareness Month By passing Delaware House of Rep. Concurrent Resolution #79, the Delaware legislature declared May 2016 as Lyme Disease Awareness month. The legislature sent the […]