Guest guest Posted May 9, 1999 Report Share Posted May 9, 1999 To All: We have a column in our local newspaper (Gannett Press) by a Dr. Gott. People send in questions, and he answers them. A few months ago he sanctioned the Anthrax Vaccine. Today, this is what he had to say about the Lyme Vaccine. Questions: Dear Dr. Gott: I live in a part of the Northeast where Lyme disease is common. In addition, I spend a lot of time outdoors in field and woods. In the summer, I often have to remove ticks. I have yet to get Lyme disease and wonder if I should receive the new vaccine. Answer: Dear Reader: LYMErix is a new vaccine recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent Lyme disease in people 15 to 70 years old. The product was just reviewed in the Medical Letter (March 26, 1999), which is the gold-standard publication about drugs and therapeutics. The vaccine is administered in three doses: at 0, 1 and 12 months. It is 80% effective once the third shot has been given. Reactions to the vaccine are rare and mild. Despite this encouraging information, Medical Letter consultants urge caution, stating that long-term effects are unknown; hence, its safety is " worrisome. " For example, the following issues have not been studied: the duration of the protection (annual booster shots may be necessary), the problems with the 20% of recipients who do not become immune, and the effectiveness of the vaccine in children under 15 and in adults over 70. Given all these unanswered questions, I take the middle ground. I encourage people at high risk (surveyors, foresters, landscapers and so forth) to receive the vaccine. For the rest of the population -- including many over 70 -- I leave the decision to each individual person. Perhaps as doctors have more experience with LYMErix, we will learn much more about it. ------------------ Anyone familiar with the " Medical Letter " may want to see what they have to say about the Anthrax Vaccine. Please let me know what you find out. You can write to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 New York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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