Globe and Mail – Lyme disease on the rise in Canada, linked to ticks
[CanLyme Note: The $300,000 noted in the article were transferred by CanLyme to the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases in Toronto, not directly to the Humber River Hospital as
stated in the article. These monies were raised by the Magnotta family for the purpose of establishing a research facility. The research program is being developed between the G. Magnotta Foundation and the Humber River Hospital, in consultation with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. Only Step One of the ethics approval has been reached so far with more to be
done.]
Adriana Barton, The Globe and Mail
At age 28, Kevin Sherriff developed severe nausea and flu-like symptoms that sent him on multiple trips to the ER. Canadian doctors examined him for everything from multiple sclerosis to brain tumours and chronic fatigue syndrome. But a battery of tests failed to explain his symptoms, including gastrointestinal distress and difficulty sleeping, even as his weight dropped from 155 to 118 pounds, leaving him weak and unable to work.
Sherriff, now 31, said it took a trip to a doctor in New York State and $1,200 in tests from a private lab in California to confirm he had Lyme disease and co-infections including Babesiosis, caused by a microscopic parasite.