NOTE THE LAST PARAGRAPH ABOUT BILL. LOVE THAT DEL. RUST for getting it introduced last year and for persevering.
BTW, I thought Dr Clark's presentation was EXCELLENT. Three points he made in particular.
1) Lone star ticks DO carry Lyme and are especially notorious as Babesia vectors.
2) 4 types of Borrelia that should be tested for, that's he's found with some frequency, of which only the first one here is traditionally tested for:
B. burgdorferi B. andersonii B. bissettii B. americana (fairly recent taxonomic discovery)
(edited to add my own input: B.carolinensis, too. I'm honestly not sure if he mentioned or not, mostly due to my hasty scribbling and "interpretive" handwriting!)
3. Unlike what was/is commonly thought by mainstream, lizards in FL are a significant vector. He has published on this. _____________________________________________ Lyme disease panel hears from experts They told Gov. Bob McDonnell's task force that education and research are needed. By Michael Sluss [email protected]
RICHMOND -- After the first two meetings of Gov. Bob McDonnell's task force on Lyme disease, the panel's chairman is sure of one thing.
"I think it's pretty clear we need more science," said Michael Farris, the longtime home-schooling advocate and former candidate for lieutenant governor, after presiding over a four-hour meeting Friday.
McDonnell last fall tapped Farris to lead a task force to explore prevention and treatment of a tick-borne disease that is on the rise in Virginia. Farris has a personal interest in the issue. His wife and seven of his 10 children have been diagnosed with Lyme.
"I believe that anybody who's dogmatic about any side of the kind of controversies around Lyme is speaking prematurely," said Farris, the chancellor of Patrick Henry College in Loudoun County. "We're in the early scientific stages of a very important disease that's affected a lot of people, and I think we need more science."
The task force in late November held hearings on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme, a controversy that has worked its way into the halls of the General Assembly. Friday's hearing focused largely on prevention and education efforts, and the testimony exposed issues that Farris said the state needs to address.
Some panel members voiced dismay at how little the state spends on Lyme-related research and education. David Gaines, public health entomologist with the Department of Health, said less than $20,000 in state funds goes toward work on Lyme.
"You print up a few color brochures, you've blown your budget," Farris said. "I do think the Virginia General Assembly in due course will have to pay more attention to what we need to do to fund a little bit of research."
Among other things, the state lacks the funding to conduct a geographically diverse survey to assess infection rates of deer ticks that spread the bacterial illness, the task force was told.
The task force on Friday heard presentations about the emerging use of bait stations with attached rollers that apply pesticide to feeding deer; and about Virginia's efforts to contain the exploding deer population. They also heard from scientists about the need to improve education and initial diagnosis of Lyme disease, which many experts believe is severely underreported.
"Educating health care practitioners is critical, and I don't know who has primary responsibility for that, but I think we all have responsibility for that," said Kerry Clark, a professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the University of North Florida.
The task force will hold a meeting in Roanoke in March and should complete its work this summer. In the meantime, a state delegate had decided to hold off on legislation that would protect so-called "Lyme-literate" doctors who are defying most mainstream practitioners by prescribing long-term antibiotics for patients with chronic symptoms.
Del. Tom Rust, R-Fairfax County, who sponsored the bill last year, said he will wait until the task force completes its work to develop new legislation for the 2012 General Assembly session.
[ 01-23-2011, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: Dawn in VA ]
-------------------- (The ole disclaimer: I'm not a doctor.) Posts: 1349 | From VA | Registered: Jul 2006
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onbam
Unregistered
posted
Good to finally have someone on our side in charge.
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
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I see you found the Roanoke article AND attended! GOOD FOR YOU!
I tried to get there, had 2 offers of places to stay, but the weather report of 1-4 inches of snow/ice that was due before and at the time I would be traveling, made me hold off.
Yes, the presentation you mentioned was the exact one I wanted to see. Thanks for sharing the notes.
And I guess no bill this year then. That answers that question.
"In the meantime, a state delegate had decided to hold off on legislation that would protect so-called "Lyme-literate" doctors who are defying most mainstream practitioners by prescribing long-term antibiotics for patients with chronic symptoms."
So I wonder what legislation he has in mind? Or if it will be needed... and/or... if it would be safe to try to make a bill effort IF there was even a good reason to?
Dawn in VA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9693
posted
Make that a THIRD offer for a place to stay! Anytime! Rain or shine! Cat on a hot tin roof!
I say do it do it do it till they get so exasperated with us that they pass it through. We'll be their kidney stone and they, the golden urethra. Since we can't ogle $$$ in front of their eyeballs like the "real" lobbyists do (gurgle, gurgle), we'll just have suffice with being the superstar pests. "Superstar!" I really do think there's a tremendous need for the bill.
Don't forget that there will be another hearing- I believe on March 1 (don't quote me there- will have to check notes) at 7PM in which patients et al.-audience members- will have a chance to speak.
-------------------- (The ole disclaimer: I'm not a doctor.) Posts: 1349 | From VA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Dawn in VA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9693
posted
Nope, unless someone did at the first meeting, but there are 2 more to come. I have doubts it will be on the agenda, but I really have no clue about that. Haven't checked out the speakers yet.
-------------------- (The ole disclaimer: I'm not a doctor.) Posts: 1349 | From VA | Registered: Jul 2006
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