It is great to see some of our government officials at last speaking up about Lyme disease.
Making Lyme "notifiable" would increase awareness at the diagnostic level. This would result in more patients being treated in earlier stages of the disease, when routine treatment is much more likely to be successful.
Chronic patients, who have failed to be diagnosed early, must endure a painful disease, that may not actually respond to even more aggressive treatment. They face uncertain futures, where they may be reliant on family and social service support. Treatment at Chronic stage is many times more expense and complex, than treatment in the early "acute" stage.
Too many patients a slipping through the medical system, being investigated for MS, ME, motor neuron or other diseases that share similar symptoms, and by the time doctors get around to looking at Lyme, they are past the point of "acute" treatment and may have lost their chance at ever having a healthful productive life.
Recent trends in farming, establishment of wildlife habitat, low sheep grazing levels, and climate change are all impacting the increase of ticks and all the diseases they carry. These issues must be addressed by the Minister of the Environment, The Department of Agriculture and EU level farming policy. The Minister of Health needs to make Lyme "notifiable" now.
Now a little less talk, and a lot more action is needed
janet fitzgerald
Posted on 1 Jul 2010 9:38 am
It is great to see some of our government officials at last speaking up about Lyme disease.
Making Lyme "notifiable" would increase awareness at the diagnostic level. This would result in more patients being treated in earlier stages of the disease, when routine treatment is much more likely to be successful.
Chronic patients, who have failed to be diagnosed early, must endure a painful disease, that may not actually respond to even more aggressive treatment. They face uncertain futures, where they may be reliant on family and social service support. Treatment at Chronic stage is many times more expense and complex, than treatment in the early "acute" stage.
Too many patients a slipping through the medical system, being investigated for MS, ME, motor neuron or other diseases that share similar symptoms, and by the time doctors get around to looking at Lyme, they are past the point of "acute" treatment and may have lost their chance at ever having a healthful productive life.
Recent trends in farming, establishment of wildlife habitat, low sheep grazing levels, and climate change are all impacting the increase of ticks and all the diseases they carry. These issues must be addressed by the Minister of the Environment, The Department of Agriculture and EU level farming policy. The Minister of Health needs to make Lyme "notifiable" now.
Now a little less talk, and a lot more action is needed