by Michael Sluss

LEESBURG -- A task force created by Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration is calling for better public education and outreach about Lyme disease and a more open-minded approach by the medical community to diagnosing and treating the tick-borne illness.

The 12-member task force spent more than five hours Thursday hashing out the details of a report that will go to the governor and could lead to legislation and policy changes. The group was asked to submit findings and recommendations on prevention, diagnosis, education and treatment of a disease that is on the rise and generating controversy in Virginia.

"We have to do something to create a proportionate response to the issue," said Michael Farris, the panel's chairman, who called for a greater sense of urgency in dealing with Lyme.

"We don't want people freaking out inappropriately, but a certain amount of freaking out is warranted here ...

By Time for Lyme

As the dog days of summer approach, Lyme advocate and Greenwich Department of Health Director Caroline Baisley knows all too well about the horrific affects of Lyme. "I've suffered for over 10 years with the illness. And while I am largely recovered today, I am eager to make sure that others in Greenwich and beyond are educated about Lyme," notes Ms. Baisley. 

Stamford Department of Health Director and advisor to Time for Lyme (TFL) Anne Fountain agrees and adds, "Lyme can present itself quite insidiously, particularly in the preadolescent age group. It is critical to be vigilant about tick checks and see a doctor quickly if you suspect a bite and are experiencing any symptoms. You can contact your local health department to get your tick tested for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease".

TFL highlights the following 10 things you should know about Lyme ...

By Christine Heffer

via Lakeshore Advance

I live in Ontario and I have Lyme disease. I contracted Lyme here. I was misdiagnosed for four year and I have chronic late stage Lyme. I am one of thousands of people who have this contracted disease in this country. This disease is like AIDS. It affects your immune system and every part of your body and is incurable. It will and can kill a person. Like AIDS it requires long term treatment but with antibiotics not antivirals since it is a bacterial infection.

The most common way of contracting Lyme is through a tick bite but there is science showing it can be passed on through birth and through breast feeding.(1,2) The bacteria that causes Lyme disease has also been discovered in semen although there have yet to have studies on if it is sexually transmitted although the bacteria is ...

via TowsonTimes

Letters to the Editor

I was bit by tiny ticks that were the size of a pencil tip in Cecil County in the fall of 2009. In a matter of weeks I had strange symptoms; heart palpitations, shooting pains, joint pain, and abdominal pain but I never got a rash.

via CBC news

Ticks that carry Lyme disease are trekking to new locations in the province, Manitoba Health says.

Ticks that carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease are turning up in south-central Manitoba, the province says. (CBC)Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, that once were limited to the southeast corner of the province are now showing up in the Stanley Trail area of south-central Manitoba, experts say, adding the were probably brought in by migratory birds.

More than a third of the ticks tested from that area carried the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, which can lead to arthritis and neurological problems if not treated with antibiotics soon after infection, the province said..

Two cases of humans infected with the the disease have been reported there in the recent past.

Experts recommend wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants that can be sealed around the ankles when in ...

BOSTON -- Lyme disease cases are rising in the Bay State, and the towns that have some of the most cases may surprise you.

A disease historically found on the Cape and the Islands is now a statewide concern.

"What we've seen over the last few years is a transition from that being our hot spot to an area that includes Norfolk, Middlesex and Essex counties," Dr. Catherine Brown said.

The new hot spots are some of the state's most populated.

"People aren't aware that they're at risk even in their own backyard," Brown said.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, nine of the 13 towns with the most cases were in Norfolk, Middlesex, and Essex counties -- including Franklin, where cases have more than tripled since 2005. In Weymouth, cases of Lyme were up more than 600 percent.

While anyone can get Lyme disease, middle-aged ...

via HealthyNewAge.com

This pandemic that is currently spreading depicts how Lyme disease is more infectious and insidious than most known diseases and it is already prevalent on six continents throughout the world.

It is even less understood than AIDS, and although it is not feared as fatal by those who do not understand it, it greatly effects the lives of its victims because of the various symptoms which can be quite severe. Many times the symptoms seem to mimic or resemble so many other dysfunctions and ailments. For example, LD is symptomatic of diseases such as Parkinsonism, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus erythematosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and even depression and anxiety along with many other disorders such as Alzheimer's.

The cause of Lyme Disease is a result of an anaerobic spiral-shaped (spirochetal) bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. When the first ...

By Debra Siepmann | Email the author | April 26, 2011 via BROOKEFIELD PATCH.

May is Lyme awareness month, with good reason.

For the most part, the summer of 2010 proved to be hot and dry, not conducive weather for the tick population. Then in the later part of summer, the weather changed with significant amounts of rainfall and the ticks were back in full force.

In the spring and throughout July, a pilot program had started at Danbury Hospital, aimed at studying Lyme disease.

Amber Butler, who works for the Laura and Dale Kutnick Lyme Disease Research Center along with physicians’ assistants at the emergency room, is part of a research team. The research team “recruits” patients coming in to the E.R. with Lyme disease to participate in a study to help create a database.

Butler said those patients with a confirmed diagnosis willing to participate are asked ...

via DAILYIOWAN

BY ALLIE WRIGHT | MAY 12, 2011 7:20 AM

Matthew Tolan didn't think a minuscule tick bite would force him to miss a year at the University of Iowa.

He didn't think he would gain 100 pounds in a single year. And he didn't know he would be too sick to participate in RAGBRAI, missing the bike ride for the first time in six years.

After nearly two years of misdiagnoses and frustration, Tolan was diagnosed with Lyme disease in the spring of 2010. This conclusion confirmed his family's suspicions that the bug bite he received on a June 2008 trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota was at the root of his problems.

Lyme disease has forced the 19-year-old outdoorsman from Waverly, Iowa, to take a year off from his studies at the UI. And more than seven months into his medical leave ...

By Steve Gilliland

Original article here.

IDAHO FALLS — It’s spring and many people are venturing outdoors, hiking in habitat that contains ticks that carry a bacteria that can give humans lyme disease an inflammatory disease spread through a tick bite. It’s a disease no one wants — it can debilitate a person for life and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat.

Therefore, it’s important to learn all about the disease, its symptoms and treatment, and how to prevent it. Everyone should view the documentary film, Under Our Skin, produced by Andy Abrahams Wilson, a 20-time winner at international film festivals, at the Colonial Theater, 498 A Street in Idaho Falls at 7 pm Wednesday, May 11. No admission will be charged.

Unfolding like a real-life thriller, Under Our Skin exposes the hidden epidemic of Lyme disease and reveals how our troubled health care system is failing to address ...

Monday, April 11, 2011

Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette

Jennifer Mankoff -- "We believe it's important to expose multiple understandings of the disease when they exist -- if we can -- so they can lead to more informed and then better decisions."

Thursday, Apr. 28 by Laura Peters

BY JAN JARVIS AND DAVE MONTGOMERY

jjarvis@star-telegram.com

Lyme disease left state Sen. Chris Harris with rotted-out bones and the realization that treatment wouldn't come easily.

"I'm one of those people who can tell you what it can do," said Harris, whose battle with Lyme disease started in 1990. "I'm a survivor."

Lyme disease also caused a heart attack, Harris, R-Arlington, testified before a recent hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. After 21/2 years without a diagnosis, he was finally treated with long-term antibiotics.

Others aren't so fortunate.

They travel out of state for treatment because doctors in Texas fear disciplinary action from the state medical board for overprescribing medication and failing to follow the "standard of care." While that protocol calls for antibiotics over less than a month, some physicians believe that treatment should be more intense and can take ...