Come and join with CanLyme in the screening of “The Quiet Epidemic”

May 18th, 2023 May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and CanLyme is hosting an on-demand screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, The Quiet Epidemic during the week of May 19th. For the past two decades, CanLyme has been listening to the voices of people who have encountered ongoing roadblocks while trying to access adequate healthcare for Lyme…

Murphy signs law requiring N.J. students to learn about tick-borne diseases

New Jersey students will be required to learn about tick-borne diseases starting next school year under a bipartisan law Gov. Phil Murphy signed Monday. The measure (S264) requires the state education commissioner, in collaboration with the state health commissioner, to create new curriculum guidelines that teach students how to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne…

Lyme Disease Is On The Rise—And Climate Change Is To Blame

Chatelaine – by Zeahaa Rehman April 25th, 2023 “Maggie McColl first heard the joke about Lyme disease at a public talk about the illness in 2008. “The good news is, you’re not going to die,” she chuckles. “And the bad news is, you’re not going to die.” McColl, based in Nanaimo, B.C., first experienced symptoms of…

A Fatal Case of Late Stage Lyme Borreliosis and Substance Abuse

Abstract A recent study demonstrated a 1,100% (12-fold) increase in substance abuse after acquiring Lyme borreliosis. Lyme borreliosis and substance abuse have never been adequately studied and deserves greater attention. A fatal case of Lyme borreliosis and substance abuse is presented, compared to a database, relevant citations are reviewed, brain tussue is analyzed, and findings…

USA: Tick-Borne Disease Working Group 2022 Report to Congress

Executive Summary In this third and final report of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, the committee applauds the progress that has been made during the past six years but recognizes the challenges that remain. The Working Group identified possible paths toward achieving its vision of “a nation free of tick-borne diseases where new infections are…

Jury awards $6.5M to Maine family for wrongful death, negligent misdiagnosis

PORTLAND (WGME) — A Cumberland County jury on Wednesday reportedly ordered Mercy Hospital in Portland and one of its physicians, Dr. John Henson, to pay $6.5 million to the family of a man who died as the result of a misdiagnosis. According to court documents, 25-year-old Peter Smith went to Mercy Hospital in Portland in…

Lyme borreliosis in pregnancy and associations with parent and offspring health outcomes: An international cross-sectional survey

Published November 2022 Background: Lyme disease (LD) is a complex tick-borne pathology caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacteria. Currently, there are limited data regarding the health outcomes of people infected during pregnancy, the potential for perinatal transmission to their fetus, and the long-term effects on these children. Therefore, the primary objective of this survey study was to…

Long Lyme, long Covid pushes physicians outside of their comfort zone

An article by Usha Lee McFarling October 10, 2022 “A doctor’s humbling journey treating long Covid: ‘The second we think we know what we are doing, we fall flat on our face’” “Unfortunately way too many people with this are not being believed about their illness. And this has happened before, with long Lyme, and…

The Impact of Telemedicine in the Diagnosis of Erythema Migrans during the COVID Pandemic: A Comparison with In-Person Diagnosis in the Pre-COVID Era

Abstract Background: Erythema migrans (EM) is the hallmark manifestation of the Lyme borreliosis (LB), and therefore its presence and recognition are sufficient to make a diagnosis and to start proper antibiotic treatment to attempt to eradicate the infection. Methods: In this study we compared the clinical data of 439 patients who presented an EM either…

Amélie Champagne, daughter of Jean Coutu group president, dies by suicide after Lyme disease battle

September 22, 2022 Content warning: This article discusses the topic of suicide which may be sensitive for some readers. Amélie Champagne, 22, recently died by suicide after a years-long struggle with Lyme disease. The daughter of Alain Champagne, the president of Jean Coutu Group, shared the news on his LinkedIn page. “It is with the heaviest of hearts…

Anaplasmosis: An emerging tick-borne disease of importance in Canada

Abstract Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) is an infection caused by the intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. As a tick-borne disease, the public health impact of HGA continues to increase with range expansion of the disease vector. The clinical presentation of HGA is often a non-specific febrile illness. The presence of leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and mild hepatic injury are frequently noted…