Time for Canada to follow U.S. recognition of mother-to-fetus Lyme disease transmission, says Mount Allison biologist
Andrew Rankin (arankin [at] herald [dot] ca) February 11, 2020
SACKVILLE, N.B. —
The federal U.S. public health agency has set an example for Canada to follow by acknowledging that Lyme disease could be passed from mother to fetus with serious consequences, says a Mount Allison University expert.
“The first step is acknowledging that the transmission happens,” said Vett Lloyd, a biologist and founding member of the university’s Lyme Disease Network. “The next step is getting enough information that physicians, family doctors, and families have the information they need to manage the risk.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website was updated Jan. 27 to include mother to fetus as a possible way of transmitting the disease. The new section states, “Untreated Lyme disease during pregnancy can lead to infection of the placenta. Spread from mother to fetus is possible but rare.”
It’s a game-changer, said Lloyd. …