At a time when many US States have tackled this urgent issue head on, it is ironic that Canada still downplays Lyme disease and clings to outdated standards for diagnosis and care. We need to get ahead of the curve, and help scientists who are endeavouring to create enhanced surveillance tools, such as risk maps. A national strategy, as articulated in my Private Members’ Bill, could support this work and ensure that people can be vigilant in areas where the tick is becoming established.

The public and the medical community need to be educated as to increasing incidence and range of this disease. If doctors know that the local risk has increased, they can help with early diagnosis and prevention. We need to supplement the efforts made by groups like the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. http://canlyme.com

To learn more about my efforts against Lyme disease, I encourage you to visit my MP website, with press releases, videos, speeches, and personal stories. http://elizabethmaymp.ca/lyme-disease

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Re: “B.C. must act on Lyme disease recommendations,” July 5.

I agree with Gwen Barlee’s opinions because of my own experience with Lyme disease. A few years ago, after working outdoors, I experienced a stiff neck. I went to the local clinic for diagnosis and treatment. The doctor at the clinic prescribed Tylenol and sent me home.

The next day, I flew to England. Soon after my arrival, still suffering the same symptoms, a friend noticed a bite mark on my shoulder. I went to the village clinic the next day. After considering the stiff neck and the bite mark on my shoulder, the doctor immediately diagnosed Lyme disease and prescribed a two-week course of Doxicycline, the usual antibiotic recommended for Lyme disease in Europe. I am positive that, because of this prompt treatment, my stiffness and discomfort disappeared within a couple of days and I am now free of the disease.

I am thankful to the doctor in England for acting so quickly without resorting to the time-consuming testing that seems to be required in Canada to confirm the diagnosis of Lyme disease. I agree with Barlee and Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May that faster diagnosis and treatment in Canada would save many people a lot of unnecessary suffering from this debilitating disease.

Brian Tetlow
Victoria

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When Salt Spring’s Terri Bibby noticed a bite that developed a red rash after a hike in 2009, she never imagined that she would find herself becoming part of a major medical controversy, requiring years of expensive medical treatment and having to cope with the life-altering symptoms of Lyme disease.

As in the case of many other Canadians in her situation, Bibby was unable to receive a proper diagnosis because of the medical community’s ongoing discord about the disease’s prevalence, diagnosis and treatment. “There is no Lyme in B.C.,” she recalls being told at the Victoria hospital where she was taken by ambulance.

The introduction of a private member’s bill by Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May on June 21 has offered some hope that others faced with potential infection won’t have to undergo the same sense of isolation and frustration experienced by Bibby and countless others.

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Local Lyme disease researcher John Scott strongly supports federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May’s private member’s bill calling for a national strategy to fight the spreading ailment, which is as close to Guelph and Waterloo Region as Turkey Point on the north shore of Lake Erie.

“I’m all in favour of what she’s trying to do,” said Scott, the Fergus-based research scientist for the Lyme Disease Association of Ontario. At the University of Guelph, he’s involved in genetic “bar coding” of disease ticks he’s collected over many years.

May is pushing for a federal conference of health officials to create a Canada-wide means of preventing, quickly diagnosing and treating the emerging ailment, spread by black-legged ticks carrying Borrelia bacteria.

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Green Party leader Elizabeth May introduced a Private Members Bill to create a National Lyme Disease Strategy, June 21 .

May presented the bill in response to the growing threat of the disease in Canada. She is calling for a national conference of public health officials, researchers, and patient advocates as the first step to developing a comprehensive strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

“Scientific studies have been warning us that with climate change the number of vector-borne – birds, insects – diseases is on the rise,” May stated in a news release. “Lyme disease, spread by certain types of ticks, is one of them. I have many friends and constituents who are living with this terrible disease. We need to make absolutely sure that all Canadian doctors are equipped with the tools and knowledge to effectively diagnose and treat patients suffering from Lyme. ”

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May will introduce a Private Member’s Bill calling for the development of a national strategy to address the challenges of the timely recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.  The bill also calls for funding for provinces and territories to implement the strategy.

“Lyme disease can be devastating. Too many Canadians are now disabled, deprived of the joy of family and friends, of school or work, due to Lyme disease.  The public and the medical community need to be educated as to the increasing incidence and range of this disease,” said May.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is that is spread to humans and animals through the bite of certain types of ticks, particularly the black-legged tick.  Notoriously under-diagnosed and under-reported, the disease can cause serious symptoms if left untreated including recurring arthritis and neurological problems.  

The risk of exposure to Lyme disease is highest in parts of southern and south-eastern Quebec, southern and eastern Ontario, south-eastern Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and much of southern British Columbia.

Warming temperatures are leading the increase in range for the black legged tick.  Scientists are endeavouring to create enhanced surveillance tools, such as risk maps.  A national strategy could support this work and ensure that people can be vigilant in areas where the tick is becoming established.  If doctors know that the local risk has increased, they can help with early diagnosis and prevention.

Early treatment of antibiotics can avoid potentially serious long-term disabilities or even death.  Chronic Lyme disease requires improved diagnostic testing and treatment.

“Scientists are warning that a warming climate will expand the geographic range of Lyme disease-carrying ticks further into Canada, so it is imperative that we are proactive,” said May.

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