Re: ABCNEWS.com : Second Opinion: Lyme Questions

[Guest guest]

I would like to thank everyone on this list for sharing all of the

wonderful info, websites and addresses.

You are a Godsend.

:-)

Joan LI NY

[Guest guest]

I would like to thank everyone on this list for sharing all of the

wonderful info, websites and addresses.

You are a Godsend.

:-)

Joan LI NY

[Guest guest]

<snip>

Another article.....good one by Regushhttp://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/secondopinion/secondopinion.html </snip>

There is an e-mail response form (ala Lalaslandra) for the article. I wrote:

Re: Your May 4, 2000 "Baffling Lyme Disease":

At the end, you stated "Though there is a vaccine to battle Lyme, it has potential pitfalls, such as the need for reinoculation, and one should not depend on it."

I sure wish you had expanded this caveat a bit further, such as including the FDA reluctance to issue approval, the fact the 30-40% of the people receiving the vaccine may acquire an incurable form of arthritis, the fact that even after the full series of 3 shots are given it is still way less than 100% effective, the fact that it's only authorized for administration for people aged 17-70 (leaving out the highest risk age groups), the fact that testing was not done with pregnant women, the fact that a majority of the initial researchers will not take the vaccine, and the fact that the adverse reactions database isn't being monitored for action.

These are more than "potential pitfalls", they are additional public health nightmares.

Additionally, nomenclature is very important. The 16,802 cases reported to the CDC is more correctly "recorded by the CDC." Even though doctors and labs are required to report (for surveillance purposes) to the CDC, and in some cases their own state health departments, the doctors/labs must first determine if the information on hand meets (open to interpretation) the reporting criteria. Secondly, if a report is made, the CDC than reinterprets the information before recording or discarding. The initial reporting is definitely below 100%, and with two levels of interpretation before recording, the final figures are decidedly biased.R. -- Euless, TexasA Tick Made Me SickTIICS Are Keeping Me That Way(The Insurance Industry Captive Specialists)http://www.angelfire.com/biz/romarkaraoke/james.htmlMay is Texas Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month

[Guest guest]

<snip>

Another article.....good one by Regushhttp://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/secondopinion/secondopinion.html </snip>

There is an e-mail response form (ala Lalaslandra) for the article. I wrote:

Re: Your May 4, 2000 "Baffling Lyme Disease":

At the end, you stated "Though there is a vaccine to battle Lyme, it has potential pitfalls, such as the need for reinoculation, and one should not depend on it."

I sure wish you had expanded this caveat a bit further, such as including the FDA reluctance to issue approval, the fact the 30-40% of the people receiving the vaccine may acquire an incurable form of arthritis, the fact that even after the full series of 3 shots are given it is still way less than 100% effective, the fact that it's only authorized for administration for people aged 17-70 (leaving out the highest risk age groups), the fact that testing was not done with pregnant women, the fact that a majority of the initial researchers will not take the vaccine, and the fact that the adverse reactions database isn't being monitored for action.

These are more than "potential pitfalls", they are additional public health nightmares.

Additionally, nomenclature is very important. The 16,802 cases reported to the CDC is more correctly "recorded by the CDC." Even though doctors and labs are required to report (for surveillance purposes) to the CDC, and in some cases their own state health departments, the doctors/labs must first determine if the information on hand meets (open to interpretation) the reporting criteria. Secondly, if a report is made, the CDC than reinterprets the information before recording or discarding. The initial reporting is definitely below 100%, and with two levels of interpretation before recording, the final figures are decidedly biased.R. -- Euless, TexasA Tick Made Me SickTIICS Are Keeping Me That Way(The Insurance Industry Captive Specialists)http://www.angelfire.com/biz/romarkaraoke/james.htmlMay is Texas Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month