Alberta, Canada : Rowe [MLA] wants provincewide strategy to fight Lyme disease
[CanLyme note: It says in the article that 70-80% of people who contract Lyme disease will develop a rash. That is untrue. Current research indicates that only a small subset of the Lyme bacteria Borrelia will cause a rash of any kind.]
January 27th, 2015, by Doug Collie
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Conservative MLA Bruce Rowe says now that he’s sitting on the government side of the provincial legislature, he wants to work on a pet project – developing a provincial strategy to fight Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks after they bite people. Those ticks tend to be harboured in deer.
Symptoms can include fever, headaches and an overall feeling of being very tired.
Seventy to 80 per cent of those infected will develop a rash.
If untreated, those infected can develop problems with their heart, joints or even their nervous system.
The disease was first discovered in Lyme, Conn. and a couple of other nearby communities in the U.S. It can be treated with antibiotics if caught early.
Earlier, at least a couple of times last year, Rowe raised the matter while serving in Opposition with the Wildrose party.
Rowe called on former health minister Fred Horne and later, current Health Minister Stephen Mandel to deal with the problem, saying Lyme disease has been a problem for many of his constituents.
“This is my chance now to get that done – to make something happen in that regard, so I want to do that for sure,” Rowe said during an interview with reporters in Olds.
We would very much appreciate receiving information as it becomes available. We have at least 2 family members who have been diagnosed by blood work done in California. Hopefully Canada will finally get going with the proper blood tests to properly diagnose Lymes Disease. It’s a shame Canadians have to jump through hoops to get tested properly.
Thank you!