LYMEPOLICYWONK: Oh, Canada! Important New Lyme Study

Did you know that in Canada:

 

  • In Canada, accurate LB statistics have been difficult to obtain because the disease is not yet nationally notifiable?

 

  • B. burgdorferi has now been recognized in every province.

 

  • Recent passive surveillance from Manitoba eastward has shown that 12.5% of sampled specimens of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis

 

  • The risk of infection is unevenly distributed  (which means it is unpredictable across a range)

 

Meanwhile, across the pond, consider this: 

 

  • In Scotland the cost of treating a case of early LB is estimated to be one-third that of treating late LB and early and effective treatment is viewed as a cost-saving measure.  Isn’t that refreshing?

 

You can follow additional comments on Lyme policy at www.lymepolicywonk.org.  You can contact Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA at lbjohnson@lymedisease.org.

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