Ticks and Poli-TICS, Time for a Change

Lucy Barnes

STAR DEMOCRAT

Easton, MD- As another summer season approaches, volunteer Lyme disease advocates are warning residents about a serious problem involving not just the abundant deer ticks, but the more dangerous poli-TICS.

As you may know, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) has dominated the field of Lyme and tick borne diseases for the past 30 years. Under their rule the epidemic has not only exploded out of control, Lyme and tick borne diseases have caused considerable suffering and hardship for many families.

Rather than welcoming assistance with open arms, the IDSA elected to retain their strangle-hold on the market by opposing a legislative bill currently before Congress.

Referring to themselves as the “pre-eminent authority”, the IDSA commented in their recent letter to Congress that they object to any mention of the word “chronic” being used when referring to Lyme disease, even though they admit Lyme symptoms can plague people for years after they have been treated.

The IDSA also objects to the establishment of a federal advisory committee whose job would consist of gathering the most up-to-date scientific literature and making recommendations to federal agencies on ways to improve the situation. The IDSA claims this new committee would be “slanted” since it would include members and scientific evidence from outside of their own tight knit little group.

Although they assured Congress they “believe it is critically important that the bill’s sponsors and those Members of Congress … be fully apprised”, they failed to mention several important points.

The forgot to tell Congress their position on Lyme disease has been highly contested for years and that they are currently under investigation by the Attorney General in Connecticut for possible fraud, anti-trust violations, monopolization, and exclusionary conduct directly related to their Lyme disease treatment guidelines.

In addition, their attempt to reduce the number of cases has failed miserably with approximately 80,000 new cases occurring in Maryland alone since 2000 (CDC 10-fold calculation). Their “FDA approved” lab tests have been shown to miss 75 percent of the people who are infected.

If those weren’t enough reasons for citizens to take action, consider their treatment guidelines which were drafted by individuals with conflicts of interest. Their highly promoted vaccine was pulled from the market after more than 1,000 adverse event reports were filed with the FDA and law suits were initiated.

To add insult to injury, insurance companies continue to refuse patients coverage for physician ordered treatment using the IDSA guidelines as the basis for the denials. Enough is enough.

The Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act must be passed through Congress to be able to make changes and move forward.

Please contact Senator Barbara Mikulski and tell her you want the bill to be marked up for a hearing and want them passed. She is on the health committee where the bill is “stuck”. She needs to hear from everyone you know who is concerned about ticks and Lyme disease before we can move forward.

Senator Barbara Mikulski- (202) 224-4654 Senate bill S-1708

For more information about the bill please visit the Lyme Disease Association web site at www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org