posted
Nature 440, 278 (16 March 2006) | doi:10.1038/440278b
Lyme vaccine demonized by advocacy groups Edward McSweegan1
1692 Barrister Court, Crofton, Maryland 21114, USA
Sir: As a microbiologist who managed a federal programme on Lyme disease in the 1990s, I consider that any new clinical trials of a vaccine candidate based on the protein OspA, as mentioned in your News Feature "Uphill struggle" (Nature 439, 524-525; 2006), should be confined to Europe, for three reasons.
First, Lyme disease is non-communicable, readily treatable with common antibiotics and geographically localized in the United States. Neurological cases -- where treatment can be problematic -- are more common in Europe and a new vaccine may reduce the costs and consequences of infection.
Second, European experience with the widely used tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) vaccine may facilitate vaccine-trial recruitment and greater public acceptance of a new Lyme vaccine.
Third, Europe is a less litigious environment and is largely free of organized Lyme-patient advocacy groups. In the United States, activists have turned Lyme disease into everyone's backyard bogeyman. They have demonized experts for their views on treatment and prevention, and hired lawyers to successfully argue the dangers of vaccine-induced autoimmunity (Philadelphia Inquirer B03, July 9 2003).
The activists are already using Internet discussion groups to warn against a new vaccine. One of them recently wrote "I would encourage all Lyme patients to consider writing letters, emphasizing the lack of demand for the last vaccine, and also the fact that any future vaccines can expect a lack of cooperation, protests, legal quagmires, etc."
A careful, hysteria-free trial of the new OspA vaccine in Europe may help to undermine the opposition to it in the United States.
Posts: 510 | From NEVERLAND.USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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First, Lyme disease is non-communicable, readily treatable with common antibiotics and geographically localized in the United States. Neurological cases -- where treatment can be problematic -- are more common in Europe
Posts: 510 | From NEVERLAND.USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Wow.. good find. Gives us a glimpse of something going on behind the scenes. Where did you find it?
Posts: 364 | From California | Registered: Sep 2005
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
[ 19. October 2006, 07:31 AM: Message edited by: Marnie ]
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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stymielymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10044
posted
man i would like to kiss him,just for that statement. but z-man has my heart, sorry fellows. and i'm not even gay.
i would welcome him to come to my house and look in my medicine cabinet.
easily cured ha, i've has soooo many abx i think the potatoes in my ear are dead lol.
does he realize how many people aquired lyme with this vaccineZ???? i wouldn't give it to my dog!!!!!!!
by the way all 4 of my dogs have lyme.
maybe i should invited him over and have one of the dogs bite him on the aws, i bet he goes running to the duck. yep one dose of amoxycillin 500mg should do quite well for his case. ids standards of care.
see if he comes running here in six months.
the jovial docdave Posts: 1820 | From Boone and Southport, NC | Registered: Sep 2006
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ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
Who's paying him to continue his vendetta against Lyme patients? IDSA? Something's not right. There has to be a reason he is still pursuing us. And trying to drive the nails deeper into our coffins. Anyone done any investigation of this guy? Would love to put a PI on him to determine where he goes, who he sees, who he calls.
Posts: 2276 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2000
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OK, who knows whatever happened to the big investigation? Outcome? Is he still up there drawing a $100,000 a year salary?
Posts: 2276 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
A very smart insider told me that it was Ed's idea, at Dearborn (sp) to make a worthless Osp A test that would be used to qualify an Osp A vaccine. CDc personel are said to have made huge fortunes on this maneuver. All rumor of course.
Posts: 57 | From the middle of a pandemic | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
"A very smart insider told me that it was Ed's idea, at Dearborn (sp) to make a worthless Osp A test that would be used to qualify an Osp A vaccine. CDc personel are said to have made huge fortunes on this maneuver. All rumor of course."
I can't see that really happening. My brother and aunt got the Lyme Vaccine years ago, they worked for the town and it was giving the employees the series of shots for free. I had doubts about it myself but both of them have never had a problem with lyme and have had many tick bites over the years.
Posts: 40 | From CT | Registered: Oct 2006
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