Posted on May 31, 2011 in Blog |

http://www.examiner.com/health-news-in-national/studies-highlight-rising-numbers-concerns-about-lyme-disease With a few mentions of me in the story . . . .   More than 225 people gathered in Virginia Beach Saturday donning lime-green ribbons on T-shirts and pins. The cause, to promote awareness and garner support for Lyme disease research, drew many late-stage carriers of the disease as well as their family members and friends. Marking the beginning of tick season and the end of what several states, including Virginia, have mandated to be Lyme Disease Awareness Month, Saturday’s turnout exceeded organizers expectations and highlighted growing concern in the state. Within the first few months of 2011, according to numbers gathered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more Virginians were reported to have Lyme disease than in the entire previous year. The prevelance of a new tick-borne pathogen, Tidewater spotted fever, is another cause for alarm. In April, the Institute of Medicine published an article entitled, “Critical Needs and Gaps in Understanding Prevention, Amelioration, and Resolution of Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases,” following a 2010 workshop that brought a variety of health professionals, scientists and patients together in Washington. Workshop conclusions regarding the threat of Lyme disease generally mirrored reports published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Lyme disease is the most reported vector-borne disease in the United States; the reported incidence rate has grown exponentially since the 1990s; treatment of late-stage Lyme disease is costly and challenging. As reported cases of Lyme disease continue to rise and look to exceed last year’s numbers in most states, some organizations worry that political and health care support is late in catching up. This year alone, more than 2500 cases of Lyme disease have been reported to the CDC, a number that is looking to surpass last year’s tally of 6143. “There needs to be a mellowing of the relationship between patients and the health care system,” said Joy Walker, Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Capital Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Association. “Once the symptoms become persistent, a lot of doctors just don’t want to deal with the issue and just provide symptomatic treatment.” In 2009, Sharon Rainey, an author, entrepreneur and mother was...

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