The Top 4 Myths of Lyme Disease:
MYTH: LYME ALWAYS CAUSES A BULL’S-EYE RASH.
FACT: LESS THAN 50% OF INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY LYME MAY SEE A BULL’S-EYE RASH AND EVEN FEWER RECALL A TICK BITE
MYTH: YOU’LL KNOW WHEN YOU’VE BEEN BITTEN BY A TICK.
FACT: TICKS HAVE A NUMBING AGENT IN THEIR SALIVA, SO YOU DON’T FEEL A BITE.
MYTH: LYME IS AN EAST COAST ILLNESS ONLY
FACT: ALTHOUGH MORE PREVALENT IN THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST, LYME HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ALL 50 STATES AND IS GROWING GLOBALLY.
MYTH: YOU HAVE TO BE NEAR DEER TO BE EXPOSED TO DEER TICKS.
FACT: NOT TRUE. BLACK LEGGED TICKS ALSO FEED ON SMALL MICE, SQUIRRELS, RABBITS, BIRDS, DOGS & CATS.
LYME DISEASE: A GLOBAL PANDEMIC...
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF TICK-BORNE DISEASES:
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF LYME BORRELIOSIS:
...BUT NOT A GLOBAL PRIORITY!
WE URGENTLY NEED FUNDING TO STOP THE SPREAD OF LYME AND OTHER TICK-BORNE DISEASES!
Despite several decades of research, prevention, and educational activities, funding for tick-borne diseases is orders of magnitude lower, compared to other public health threats, and it has failed to increase as the problem has grown, in the US and around the world.
RESEARCH FUNDING DISPARITY
Government funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research is disproportionately low when considering the footprint of the disease.
THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE IMMEDIATE NEED FOR PRIVATE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH.
Increased funding, prioritization, and leadership are needed to reverse the alarming trends associated with tick-borne diseases.
