Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne illness in the United States, and is usually transmitted by ticks or spider-like creatures typically residing in the woodlands.
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The conference is being held at Worcester Technical High School.
Savard said growing awareness of Lyme disease is another reason for the increase in reported cases.
While May herself has acknowledged concerns about some of the unproven perspectives of Lyme advocates, she said she felt the suffering of patients should take priority at this time.
This condition is now hard to detect, as a mere 40 percent of its patients exhibit the familiar rash following a tick bite. In the words of Jim Wilson, president of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, patients with Lyme expect to be equal players when the new framework for diagnosing and treating Lyme is drafted. He added that the test has the potential to emerge as a “game-changer” in the detection ofe treatment of Lyme disease. False positives are also quite common with the current types of lab tests available. Lance Liotta says, “the bacteria that’s really causing this effect, we’re testing it directly, and we’re testing it with a high sensitivity that’s never achieved before”.
How PHAC will reconcile or balance the “lived experience” of patients with the traditional approach of using scientific studies and expert witnesses to develop medical policies and guidelines will be an interesting barometer of the power of patient advocacy in Canada today.
Dr. Noémie Savard of Montreal’s public health authority said the city is still considered a low-risk area for Lyme disease despite the increase in cases.
The lab also tests thousands of ticks from all over the country that can help determine where ticks are found, what diseases they carry and how they spread.
His tests are not a diagnosis, but getting the results fast can help doctors and veterinarians plan a course of treatment.
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“If a tick bites and attaches to a dog, it generally stays there, they don’t jump from person to dog, but if your dog has been exposed to Lyme disease, then your child could be exposed”, said Dr. DeLamorra.
