MORE QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS ABOUT LYME DISEASE

HOUSE OF LORDS 


Questions on Lyme Disease from the Countess of Mar details can be found here 


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government what epidemiology data exists for the historic and current population densities of Ixodes ricinus ticks in England and Wales; whether it shows an increase in tick numbers; what proportion of ticks carry Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; and what measures are in place for future monitoring. [DH] HL138 


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government, with regard to the freedom of household pets to travel in Europe, what surveillance measures exist to detect the arrival of tick-borne encephalitis and other tick-borne diseases that are not currently endemic in the United Kingdom; and what measures exist to inform United Kingdom residents of the risks of those diseases when they travel to Europe and the United States and the need for vaccination for tick-borne encephalitis. [DH] HL139 


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government what testing is carried out in addition to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia afzelii for tick-borne diseases including Bartonellosis, Ehrlichiosis, Borrelia garinii, Babesiosis, Louping ill and Q-fever, that occur in the United Kingdom, and for other zoonoses such as tick-borne encephalitis, Boutonneuse fever, Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to which United Kingdom residents can be exposed when travelling to Europe and the United States. [DH] HL140


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the "new test" to be used by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) Lyme Unit at Porton Down for Lyme borreliosis, what data they hold for the sensitivity and specificity of the test kits for the local genospecies of Borrelia in England and Wales; what testing has been carried out by the HPA or other body to confirm the sensitivity and specificity of the test kits for the local genospecies in England and Wales; and, if testing was carried out, what were the sensitivity and specificity results. [DH] HL141 


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to enhance the current regulations defined by European Union Directive 98/79 to ensure proactive verification and certification of medical devices; and what data they possess for the performance characteristics and limitations of the ELISA and Western blot serology tests, including the test to be used at the Porton Down laboratory that is required from the manufacturers in accordance with Annex III of Directive 98/79. [DH] HL142 


The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty’s Government when the transfer of the Lyme Reference Laboratory to the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down is expected to be complete and whether the Health Protection Agency will include Lyme on its list of Reference Services published on its website. [DH] HL143


It is good to see the Countess of Mar asking very pertinent questions of our Government and it is beholden of the Government to seek accurate and informative answers from the Department of Health not the fobbing off that has been the pattern so far, as evidenced by the 30ish letters to me from MP Anne Milton on the subject of Lyme Disease, although Anne says she has many concerns about this puzzling disease.

EMERGING INCIDENCE OF TICK BORNE DISEASES IN AUSTRALIA

Emerging incidence of Lyme borreliosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, and granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Australia

Peter J Mayne

Conclusion

The study identified a much larger tick-borne disease (TBD) burden within the Australian community than hitherto reported. In particular, the first cases of endemic human Babesia andBartonella disease in Australia with coexisting Borrelia infection are described, thus defining current hidden and unrecognized components of TBD and demonstrating local acquisition in patients who have never been abroad.

To see the full paper here  

ILADS CONFERENCE TORONTO - A SNIPPET BUT SIGNIFICANT NEVERTHELESS

Dr Horowitz Talks about Babesia Treatment - presenting at ILADS conference in Toronto 2011



Not included in this video but Dr Horowitz started his presentation talking about his recent visit to China to discuss Babesia with the CDC in China - good to know China is taking not just Babesia but other tick borne illnesses seriously and not being fooled by the IDSA restrictive guidelines.

Dr Jemsek, Dr Jones and Dr Raxlen at ILADS conference in Toronto 2011
Dr Jones touches on pregnancy and Lyme Disease.



Management of Ixodes scapularis bites — Dr Maloney




More information and DVD's will be available from the ILADS website here

ANXIETY OR PANIC ATTACKS

Here's how to gauge whether your anxiety is linked to Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases:

• Know how different panic attacks work. Panic attacks spurred by Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections are generally different than non-infectious-based panic attacks, explains Dr. Bransfield. A regular panic attack lasts a few minutes, but he says those brought on by tick-related ailments can go on for more than a half hour. If your panic attack symptoms grow worse while on once-effective antianxiety treatment, it's another sign that Lyme or a related infection could be causing the attacks.

• Know when to consider tick-borne diseases. Don't rely on finding a tick attached to your body to gauge your Lyme disease risk: Many people don’t recall being bitten at all, while others notice migrating rashes or red or black-and-blue splotches shortly after being bitten. Other early Lyme symptoms sometimes pop up a few days to a month after infection and include fatigue, fever, and chills. If the disease becomes more established in your body, it could cause cardiac and neurological problems. If you think you've been recently infected with Lyme, ask your doctor to perform blood tests, and if negative, have them repeated about six weeks later. If the results are still negative and you still suspect Lyme, you may want to see a doctor who specializes in treating Lyme aggressively. Doctors should first test to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.

• Fight with your doctor if you need to. Lyme disease is a contentious subject, with two different schools of thought: Some consider to be a short-term infection, others believe it can be chronic. Some doctors take the threat of chronic Lyme seriously, and believe it should be treated with longer courses of antibiotics; others believe chronic Lyme doesn't exist. (Read Lyme Hearing Highlights a Broken System and Lyme Disease Treatment Guidelines: All Wrong? for more background.) Until more doctors recognize the severity of the disease, if you believe you have Lyme it's best to advocate for a clinical diagnosis using the strategy above.

The above is an extract from a recent article on Rodale to read the full article click here

There are many other interesting posts on work done by Dr Bransfied which searching in the search box on the right of this blog will find or looking at flipcard link top right may help.