CBC TV, Ottawa : Lyme Disease advocate calls for stronger treatment
Advocates for people with Lyme disease want public health agencies to take a more aggressive stance in treating the tick-carried disease early, before it leads to later health complications.
With summer weather arriving, Ottawa Public Health is again warning the public to watch out for signs of Lyme disease, an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick, or deer tick.
The public health agency is advocating people who believe they have been bitten to get a shot of antibiotics as a preventative step.
Dr. Carolyn Pim, Ottawa’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, said people who spot the tick on them should remove it carefully, thoroughly wash the area around the bite, and then get an antibiotic pill. People should then submit the tick to Ottawa Public Health for testing.
More than one dosage needed, says advocate.
But Jim Wilson, the president of Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, said one dose of antibiotics is not enough.
“That’s not sufficient and we deal with the fall-out from that,” said Wilson.
“That’s not sufficient and we deal with the fall-out from that,” said Wilson.