Dr. John Lambert:

I have brought up the issue many times that testing is not perfect. It does not matter if it is an Irish test or a German test; the testing is imperfect. We do not have perfect diagnostic tests and we should be treating people clinically. That really is my opinion.

There is significant polarisation. If one looks at the guidelines, many of the standard guidelines state that the antibody test is close to 100%. In my opinion, it is 50%. We need better diagnostic tests. In the meantime, we do not have better diagnostic tests and we are stuck with patients who are sick. In terms of evaluating patients, I use my clinical judgment but my opinion may differ from the guidelines.

As I said, I have done my homework on Lyme disease. I have applied for grants to better understand Lyme disease in terms of better diagnostic testing but I am also seeing, managing and treating patients clinically and seeing them get better so I have engaged with Lyme disease as nobody else was doing so. My goal is to bring more GPs, specialists and colleagues on board to tackle Lyme disease in a more collaborative and co-operative way because there are a lot of unknowns about it.