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FDA Gives Green Light to Test Lyme Disease Vaccine on Humans

tick
Valneva’s preclinical study on mice reveal protection against Lyme disease transmitted by ticks among the majority of Borrelia bacteria strains.

Clinical trials for a new Lyme disease vaccine will be conducted in the U.S. and Belgium after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union’s Clinical Trial Application gave Biotech firm Valneva of France clearance to begin Phase I testing.1

Valneva is developing VLA15, a hexavalent, protein subunit-based vaccine for protection against Lyme’s disease, a tick-transmitted bacterial infection characterized by fever, headache, fatigue and skin rash that, if left untreated, can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system and cause severe, chronic health problems.2  The vaccine targets the outer surface protein A (OspA), one of the most dominant antigens expressed by the Borrelia bacteria transmitted by a tick.1

The serotypes expressed by the U.S. species of the Borrelia bacteria differ from the European version of the bacteria. In fact, there are six types of the proteins. Valneva’s vaccine aims to target all different strains of OspA and teach the body’s immune system to recognize the bacteria and launch an attack.3

First Lyme Vaccine Withdrawn After Injury Claims

This is not the first time a company has pursued a Lyme disease vaccine candidate, although there are no vaccines currently on the market.

In 1998, the FDA approved LYMErix, manufactured by SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) of the United Kingdom. Patients received three doses of the vaccine, which was manufactured using a recombinant Burellia burgdorferi outer surface protein (OspPA).  The company claimed an effectiveness rate of 80 percent.

However, almost immediately after the vaccine was licensed and distributed, there were complaints that LYMErix vaccine was causing Lyme disease symptoms and in some cases was causing permanently disabling brain and immune system damage, including treatment resistant autoimmune arthritis. The biological mechanism hypothesis was that the outer surface protein A (OspA), which was the antigenic component of the LYMErix vaccine, induced autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals, including high levels of autoantibody to OspA in their synovial fluid. On Jan. 31, 2001, the FDA advisory committee held a public meeting to review the evidence for the vaccine’s safety and public comments were made by physicians, research scientists, individuals alleging LYMErix injury and attorneys.4

GSK  voluntarily withdrew LYMErix vaccine from the market in 2002 citing uncertainty about risk of the disease and low public demand. However, they stopped producing the vaccine soon after a class action lawsuit involving hundreds of patients, who claimed they were injured by LYMErix, was settled out of court. GSK denied the vaccine caused harm and the vaccine industry and public health officials placed  blame on the media for publicizing reports of vaccine reactions.

Other Lyme Vaccines Failed to Materialize

Pasteur Merieux Connaught of France moved its vaccine through to Phase III testing with positive results, however the company never sought licensure, citing a small market size.5 Baxter of Deerfield, IL was also recently developing a potential vaccine candidate against Lyme, but similarly abandoned the initiative.6

Seeing an experimental vaccine through to Phase III testing can cost a company more than $1 billion. About 86 percent of experimental drugs do not clear Phase I and II studies.

Valneva Vaccine Targets Six OspA Serotypes

Valneva’s preclinical study on mice reveal protection against Lyme disease transmitted by ticks among the majority of Borrelia bacteria strains.7

Phase I human trials at a U.S. site and a Belgium site will enroll 180 patients aged 18 to 40 years. The single-blind, partially randomized, dose escalation study will focus on evaluating VLA15’s safety and tolerability among different dose and formulation groups and time points. Researchers will measure immunogenicity by observing IgG antibodies against six OspA serotypes.

Call for Extensive Safety Testing of New Lyme Vaccine

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 300,000 Americans and 85,000 Europeans develop Lyme disease annually. The CDC states that Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing vector-borne infections in the U.S. and Congress made development of a new Lyme disease vaccine a funding priority in the 21st Century Cures Act passed at the end of 2016.8 9

Two researchers warned several years ago that new Lyme disease vaccines using the outer surface protein (OspA) must be thoroughly tested for safety. They said, “Any new Lyme vaccine will need extensive safety testing, more transparency about side-effects, and improved patient communication to allay patient concerns about safety. Let’s hope that history does not repeat itself because Lyme vaccine manufacturers, regulators, and promoters once again underestimate or ignore justified patient concerns about Lyme vaccination risks.”10 


References:

1 Valneva Receives FDA and European Approvals to Start Clinical Testing of Lyme Disease Vaccine Candidate. Valneva SE (Press Release) Dec. 9, 2016.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme Disease. CDC.gov Aug. 19, 2016.
3 
Mosher D. A new Lyme disease vaccine will soon be tested on Americans and Europeans. Business Insider Dec. 9, 2016.
4 Nigrovic LE, Thompson KM. The Lyme Vaccine: a cautionary tale. Epidemiol Rev 2007; 135: 1-8.
5 Liu, A. Valneva wins green light to test Lyme disease vax on humans. FiercePharma Dec. 13, 2016.
6 See Footnote 3.
7 
Comstedt P, Hanner M, Schuler W, et al. Design and Development of a Novel Vaccine for Protection against Lyme Borreliosis. PLoS ONE Nov. 19, 2014.
8 See Footnote 1.
9 See Footnote 5.
10 Stricker RB, Johnson L. Lyme disease vaccination: safety first (letter). The Lancet 2014; 14.

67 Responses

  1. THEY FAILED TO MENTION ANY ADJUVANTS THAT MAY BE IN THE VACCINE. i WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS.

    1. I agree! There are many co-infections that come along with tick/spider/mosquito bites that carries lyme. Parasites, babesia bacteria, various viral strains…it’s pointless to vaccinate just for one bacteria caused by lyme and assume you’re protecting someone from the whole disease. Then, we have to consider the adjuvents they’ll have included and the horrible track record those have for nervous system and brain damage. I’m a sufferer of chronic/latent lyme, and given the choice, I’d still take my chances with the wild bugs over the vaccine!!

  2. Most likely loaded with Mercury and Aluminum so they can continue their onslaught of vaccine injuries and Autism!!! Evil!! Thanks for the story and keeping us informed as to what Big Pharma is trying to Lie and Deceive us into now!!!

  3. You’d have to be a fool to take any vaccination…I agree with Richard who asked about the adjuvants added to the vaccine…Mercury, Aluminum, fetal cells, etc.

  4. Biofeedback frequency screening shows up just as many babesia, bartonella, and other co-infections as borrelia in the average person. All contribute to the patterns of symptoms, and seem to work together – the more there are, the more illness is experienced. Vaccinating against borrelia only is imo likely to be very effective.

  5. In my previous post awaiting moderation, I MEANT to say, vaccinating against borrelia only is likely to be very INeffective, not effective. This was a typo. Apologies.

  6. The lyme vaccine is still given to dogs. It was created before the Lymerix was and is still in use. I’m wondering how the ingredients of the dog one compares to this new toxic garbage for humans.

    Furthermore, PREVENTION is key, not a toxic vaccine. Wear long sleeves, long pants, check scalp, use a deterrent spray (I make my own using essential oils for mosquitos and the like). Certain ticks carry certain diseases, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme etc so you have to be bit by one of these certain ticks. And if the tick is not pryed off within 24hrs, chances are, it could carry a bacteria and pass it to you. Also KNOW the symptoms of Lyme disease. If you see a BULLSEYE RASH anywhere on your body (typically leg or arm) Get to an Infectious disease doctor that will prescribe the CORRECT antibiotic and do bloodwork. Dont ignore the rash. If you feel flu like symptoms, achy joints and never saw a rash, dont ignore those symptoms either. Tell the doctor if you have been camping, hiking etc. AND….. One last thing. If you do pry a tick off, you can send it to labs to get it tested for lyme disease. Do not douse it in alcohol, put in a zip lock bag or sealed container and do some research where to send it. It may cost you $100 but peace of mind is worth it.

    1. It’s literally the same vaccine, though some 4 available are modified to add a second protein: OspC, as a target.

  7. One of the problems with Lyme is that there are many co-infections. It’s not just the one spirochete. Vaccines are not the answer to every illness.

  8. I have multiple family members who have Lyme Disease or had Lyme Disease, it’s very unclear if it ever goes away. The doctors know nothing about this disease and rarely test for it unless you specifically ask for it. I recently diagnosed a co-workers mom who was having all sorts of weird symptoms including heart problems and I told her to get tested for Lyme and sure enough she had it. The point here, is that I find it very hard to believe that they have figured out a vaccine when they haven’t figured out the disease itself or how to treat patients with Lyme. If you try to research Lyme Disease it doesn’t seem to me that is has been well researched by the CDC or any other entity. So, I find it very hard to believe that they now have figured out a vaccine when they don’t fully understand the disease itself.

    1. You took the words out of my mouth!
      Also, isn’t it bad enough our own country created Lyme Disease and wreaked havoc on countless lives? Do they really need to add to the damage?

  9. Since people are not protected from reinfection by ticks after a first one, that is they do not become immune, how will a vaccine cause immunity? I don’t think it will. And it is puzzling that they are again using OspA when that is tick expressed, changing to OspC in the human.

    And since no one ever admitted that a subgroup of vaccine recipients before had actual damage, and the pretense was that those ignorant people were making false claims and the demand was not great…..why should we believe this one is safe either? If the demand is not great, why do we have companies investing a billion bucks in their creation? Something does not add up here.

    1. Of course GSK denied any wrong doing and blamed all the hoopla on the media! These were not accusations from those infected, it’s the damn truth and GSK and the CDC along with the IDSA all know the truth behind what they did! 1 billion dollars to move forward with phase III of this vaccine, are you freaking kidding me? Please, take that billion dollars and apply it to better testing methods, better research and for F%&$ sakes, please start trying our med students on the TRUTH BEHIND LYME DISEASE AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND TREAT IT, were dying out here…

  10. https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/08/04/vaccine-injuries-and-the-lyme-connection/ written by Joni Comstock, Founder at May12.org, Advocating for Patients’ Rights and Compassionate Care

    The CDC Fraud with vaccines and lyme (OspA) connection:

    The LYMEerix vaccine was manufactured with ‘outer surface protein A’ (OspA). OspA is fungal and therefore has an immunosuppressive effect – causing post-sepsis syndrome. People injected with this vaccine were effected similarly to those bitten by a tick -which injects spirochetes (toxic fungi). Ironically, this vaccine was making people sick with the exact thing it was supposed to prevent!
    The LYMErix vaccine gave people the same disease we know of as chronic neurologic Lyme, so then what is the disease? What is OspA?
    The LYMErix vaccine was patented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC). The synthetic OspA injected into subjects in the trial for the vaccine were getting sick. They were injected with a fungal type antigen which is toxic to humans.
    LYMErix was pulled off the market when this fact was revealed to the FDA. But was anyone prosecuted like with the NECC scandal? Did anyone go to jail for racketeering? Was a fund set up for the victims?
    Petition for a Congressional Investigation
    It’s time to hold the CDC, Merck, Yale, IDSA (and others) responsible for the lives they have destroyed. Carl Tuttle started a petition with over 34k signatures so far – “Calling for a Congressional investigation of the CDC, IDSA and ALDF”
    https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf

  11. No sane person can reasonably trust our medical system on the subject of Lyme Disease. With a few notable exceptions, the public has been fed misinformation coming from the CDC on down.
    Seems strange that any company would risk spending a billion dollars to treat a disease many of our professionals claim does not even exist! The proposed vaccine? Don’t volunteer.
    Horace

  12. IDSA ,Lyme ,Coinfections are oil and water 99% will use the crappy test that’s yields a false false negative 50-70% of the time … even if you get a positive you will get 2 weeks of doxy which is known to be inadequate .. then you can argue ( yup you are really sick and you have to argue With the ID guy then the insurance for 30 days of rosphin … then if you are still sick the you need psych, your pants are too tight, increase your fiber, exercise more .. and on and on …

    do yourself a favor , find a lyme literate provider and don’t waste you time, your money or your sprit with individuals who likely remain willfully ignorant .. sticking with one of these negative na bobs may cost you your life

  13. Where did this start? Who was the person at the CDC who thought this would be a good idea and why? And where are they now?

  14. THEY NEED TO SPEND THE MONEY ON BETTER TESTING & TREATMENT FOR LYME & IT’S MANY COINFECTIONS. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL BABESIA WITH ANTIBIOTICS & IT IS A PARASITE! DUH!

  15. Guess what? The American people are doing their own research and not just taking the word of a doctor or Big Pharma any longer. We were fooled for a long time but not anymore! You would have to be a total idiot to get a Lyme vaccine or any vaccine on the market for that matter. Between the previous vaccines I was given and contracting Lyme disease via a tick bite, which has now developed into neurological Lyme disease (undiagnosed and untreated for 10 years before finally receiving proper treatment for the past 2 years but it was too late to effectively treat the disease- my doctor can only treat my symptoms now), I’ve been left severely immunocompromised BUT I would still take my chances with contracting anything versus allowing another vaccine in my body!! Run away if your doctor mentions the new Lyme vaccine to you! You will regret allowing anyone to put OspA into your body!!

  16. My husband and I and several people we know were part of the original Lyme vaccine study. None of us have ever developed symptoms or had any side effects. They pulled the vaccine and we each paid out of pocket for the third dose. All I know is that we camp and ride horses in the hills and mountains that are full of ticks in OH and PA. Either by the grace of God.. or .. the vaccine worked… None of us have ever developed Lyme though we have removed ticks. I hope they do come up with a vaccine that works and I am more than willing to step up again. I want an effective vaccine before one of my children, grandchildren, family or friends are affected.

  17. Stop all the tin foil hate stuff. Ok so modern medicine needs improvements, and not everything work, but because of vaccines we have stopped many people from getting very ill, and we can prove that.
    MY dog died of lyme, my neighbors dog has it, several friends have it, 2 family members, and one friend has a new strain of it, or so he says. There is no cure, and prevention is a great idea, but it is not perfect, people are getting this at an alarming rate. I would take the vaccine in an instant if I knew it was safe.

  18. I guess I am one of the lucky one. I received the Lyme vaccine (series of three shots) years ago. I never had an adverse reaction. Dispite spending a lot of time outdoors, some sleeping on the ground I never contracted Lyme. On the other hand my wife who does not spend a lot of time outdoors did contract it. Thankfully it was detected early and treated successfully.

    1. Paul, please not that the previous vaccine does not provide lifelong immunity. Take proper precautions to protect yourself from this miserable disease.

    2. I was in a trial for Lymerix early 80s Turns out I received the real doses. I was sick each time but never suffered anything other than flu like sympton. I have been Lyme free since then. I should have received boosters but people got the lawyers involve and they stopped production. They had a choice not to try the vaccine. Now we all pay for their ignorance!

      1. I live in Northern Minnesota , my dog had lymes, my grandfather had lymes, a coworker had lymes “3” times-she wears permethrin and checks daily! Many people in my community suffer from undetected lymes disease! It is may 18 2017 and have found 2 adult female deer ticks before my first mosquito bite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD GLADLY PAY, AND CANT WAIT FOR A VACCINE!!!!

  19. I have suffered from Lyme disease, now cured, but I’m not 100% of who I was before (physically). This is a very serious problem now affecting a huge portion of the U.S. population. I have witnessed the deer tick population in PA go from nearly none ten years ago – to so many now it is disgusting (no one can say why for sure). I am an outdoorsman, and right now in April if I go for a walk in the woods without lots of permethrin (insecticide) on my clothes, I will have at least 10 ticks crawling on me in one hour. In my experience the ticks here in central PA are carrying Lyme. Despite practicing all prevention methods, I have had quite a few bites, and they mostly all develop the bullseye (I take doxy of course). If you are bitten by a deer tick, demand antibiotics regardless of your signs or how long the tick was attached, and no matter what the doctor says. This is not something to be taken lightly.
    Most people don’t spend much time in nature so they don’t see this as much of a problem. They can check thoroughly the two times a year they go in the woods. For people who are in tick country EVERY DAY, the odds add up. I personally would pay ANYTHING for a vaccination right now, and so would my family and friends. All of you saying no to any and all vaccines, that’s great for you. Easy to say if you haven’t been hit with disease personally. Especially for something like this, it is a CHOICE to get vaccinated. You can, or not. For now with Lyme it’s just “or not” unfortunately.

    1. I agree with Evan, Pennsylvania is polluted with Lyme disease carrying Ticks. My son lives in a rural area 20 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Has had several tick bites once infected with lymes disease (caused by spirochete (bacteria)) He has just pulled a tick from behind his knee yesterday. I am waiting to hear results from his Doctor. If a lymes infection is treated with antibiotics early it usually results in a cure. His dog has been treated for lymes and has recovered also. I have grandsons who will play in the woods no doubt. I would not hesitate for one second to take a vaccine that prevents the disease or decreases the chance that lymes will cause infection from a tick bite.

    2. A vaccine for Lyme is not about forcing medicine on anyone.

      It is about people who live in certain areas that are very heavily infested by Lyme carrying ticks, and not being able to reasonably protect themselves by any other means.

      I have spent a fair few summers pretty much living on doxycycline because of one infected bite after another (despite full-on tactics to avoid bites). Is that a better option than if a vaccine were available to me? I think not.
      Or maybe the people of my community should just call it quits and stop relying on modern medicines at all, and die painfully while trying to fight this disease outbreak with herbal soup.

      If you don’t have five ticks crawling up your leg right now, I can understand why you don’t want a vaccine or see a need for one.

      The tick infestation here in Pennsylvania sucks, literally. I have lived here my whole life but actually would consider moving at this point, because I can’t enjoy the outdoors anymore, and I’m likely to die trying.

    3. Vermont is also riddled with deer ticks. I have many dogs and although I take all precautions when I go into the woods you cannot keep the ticks off of you. I take courses of doxycycline at least 2 or three times a year because of tick bites. I am cautious about which vaccines I receive, but if the FDA approved a vaccine for Lyme I’d be first in line. It can’t be worse than taking massive amounts of antibiotics.

  20. I live in the UK and I go to the woods every day for at least 2 hours. Sometimes quite remote areas as I like the peace beauty and tranquility. Shadow, my Dalmatian needs a lot of walking 🙂 My Shadow suffers from / with epilepsy and he has NEVER been vaccinated and won’t be in the future. Personally I would not have any vaccination either. I am aware of the risks. But I am also MORE aware of the risks of (any) vaccine. To me the risks of having a chemical cocktail of ingredients are far higher and to me it is chemical rape to my (personal) system! So for me the vaccine and any other vaccine is a total NO NO!!!! Same goes for my lovely Shadow!!

    1. It’s not a question of if, but a question of when you and your shadow will get lyme disease and then both you will be drinking chemical cocktails for your life, so stop spewing out some new age nonsense and read up on the consequences of lyme disease.

  21. Doctors prescribe medicines like candy and humans are numbers now . Nobody cares what happens inside the body with what they give you and when it gets complicated. It’s one by way that is a side effect of this medicine. Now you need to add another one to take care of the problem caused by the previous medicines. The list grows and doctor visits grows.
    They don’t care after they are done with you. Murderers in white coats and nobody can question them. They have a license for killing. Adjunct natural therapies should be a course included in every medical school.

  22. There must have been a natural predator of the ticks that are no longer doing their jobs or they’ve been wiped out by people. I think either tons of guinea fowl or more chickens can get rid of the massive tick population where there are problems. Those of you whom had had the vaccines and are doing just fine, not every person’s body is like yours. Some other folks may be harmed by the vaccines in the most awful ways. I’m glad that so far we have a choice but from the way I see things going, pretty soon we won’t even have a choice and many may be either in the hospitals (and ignored as folks think they’re crazy to think that the one thing that they had recently would give them a bad reaction), on tax payer’s money (which is where the money comes from if they do win a case), or dead.

    1. Nope. Winters are much warmer, so more ticks survive.

      Partly because I’m such a tick magnet, we moved to Northern VT more than a decade ago, specifically to an area where the tick population was very low, because the overnight temperatures regularly reached 35 – 37 degrees below zero in February. Ticks burrow into leaf-litter and soil in the fall, and remain dormant over the winter. The very low temperatures killed off the shallowly-burrowed ticks, leaving only the small handful of deeply-burrowed ticks to re-emerge the next spring.

      It barely ever gets down as low a 20 below now, never mind 35 below, and then it happens only one or two nights a year. This kills off none of the ticks at any depth. Add to that spring temperatures warming them earlier, and fall temperatures remaining warm later, and they can have 2 or 3 more feeing/birthing cycles.

      With lower snow-depths, rodent populations are also increasing, because more food is accessible, and that’s where ticks spend the first part of their life-cycle after they emerge from the soil. This means more of the young ticks survive to reproduce.

      All of these factors have led to an extraordinary explosion in the tick population.

      The population has grown so badly that moose will likely become extinct in the US. There was a 90% die-off of moose in some areas, a couple of years back and we another 70% of the remaining population is dying this year in New England, because they become so massively infested that they become badly anemic and die.

      1. Actually the ticks survive the winter where I live and we often will go a few months where the temp seldom climbs above 30! their winter survival has nothing to do with temperature. They require a host to survive the winter. So if your deer population of other host population is up that could explain it.

  23. A vaccine for Lyme is not about forcing medicine on anyone.

    It is about people who live in certain areas that are very heavily infested by Lyme carrying ticks, and not being able to reasonably protect themselves by any other means.

    I have spent a fair few summers pretty much living on doxycycline because of one infected bite after another (despite full-on tactics to avoid bites). Is that a better option than if a vaccine were available to me? I think not.
    Or maybe the people of my community should just call it quits and stop relying on modern medicines at all, and die painfully while trying to fight this disease outbreak with herbal soup.

    If you don’t have five ticks crawling up your leg right now, I can understand why you don’t want a vaccine or see a need for one.

    The tick infestation here in Pennsylvania sucks, literally. I have lived here my whole life but actually would consider moving at this point, because I can’t enjoy the outdoors anymore, and I’m likely to die trying.

    1. They need to move quickly on a vaccine!! Lymes disease has increased at an alarming rate in NNY !! If something isn’t done soon I fear it will reach epidemic proportions!! This is a serious problem and not just in our woods but, everywhere

  24. For anyone who hasn’t suffered from lymes, I understand why you might think that moniterjg for symptoms alone is enough. However, many people do not suffer from the typical rash, and oftentimes the test used to diagnose for the disease gives bwgative results. I have already had this disease twice, and was nearly hospitalized on both occasions because the doctors failed to diagnose it early enough, and thought it was the flu until I began suffering severe neurological symptoms. The vaccine is necessary, you don’t have to take it but I will.

    1. How does someone feel comfortable saying “the vaccine is necessary”? Say “I’m going to take it” but it is not necessary, it will not offer protection to the myriad of variations of Lymes, and if you are unable to detox the adjuvants your health can take an even bigger nosedive.

      I see people every day in my work with significant health problems from these issues, including someone who Gardisil immediately wrought passing out on the table. She lost 7 years of her young life to serious illness, missed the last part of high school and college years. Still a mess.

      1. I think what Jane means is that it’s necessary for people who are exposed to greatest risk.
        The only current option for people who live with disease carrying ticks biting them all summer is taking tons of antibiotics, which has its own set of consequences.
        I see people every day with significant health problems from lyme disease, not from vaccines. So we have a different experience and therefore a different view. No doubt vaccines have caused their share of problems, but if you were getting bit regularly by ticks carrying lyme….
        Hopefully the vaccine they come up with is an improvement, and covers multiple bases, but until it is actually available we can only speculate about that.

  25. Here in maine the ticks are horrible! And more people are getting lyme. If this problem does not get solved soon,the tourist will stay away,I already read a lot of comments of people staying away due to the tick population and the chance of getting lyme. Thank you for listening.

    1. I have been bitten by ticks 3 times already this year, and have spent almost no time outdoors. The ticks are insanely bad this year. If I were in the right age cohort, I’d seek out one of these trials. I’ve had Lyme once – NEVER again.

      1. I also had Lyme about 15 years ago when most doctors weren’t asking. I had no bullseye ring, bad sciatic nerve pain, Bells palsy and a heart aryantha. 35 days of liquid Rocephin. Worst thing I ever experienced. We need a working vaccine.

        1. Hi fRank I read your post.i had exactly the same symptoms as you and received 30 days or recophen and was cured. System free until I got the 3 doses of LymeRix in 1998.now after 20 years every joint in my body is destroyed due to Lyme arthritis and now can’t work or exercise. I can barely walk and am in severe constant pain. So be careful people who get the vaccine my life has been ruined and will only get worse.

    2. Tourists can’t stay away because Lyme is an epidemic on the northeast. If they decide to go to MA or NY, the chances of getting Lyme are no less than in Maine.

  26. Aside from the obvious problem of compromising the immune system by injecting toxins into our body via a vaccine, have they considered the impossibility of protecting against the many strains of Lyme disease, not to mention the range of other tick-borne illnesses transmitted via ticks??? Talk about giving the uninformed a false sense of security!!!

    1. The article states that the vaccine targets “all different strains of OspA”. In other words it is a general vaccine against the family of Borrelia bacteria.

    2. Yes, those oh so evil vaccines did nothing for Diphtheria, Small Pox, Measles and Polio, right? Just useless scams to take your money. Now if only we had a vaccine for granite between the ears.

  27. Can’t wait for this to become available. I used to volunteer in a Multiple Sclerosis treatment clinic, and now I wonder how many of those people actually had Lyme. Similar symptoms to MS. X-rays will show the plaque which is characteristic of MS and not Lyme, but perhaps not everyone has the plaque.

    We desperately need a better tick control program in the Northeast states. There are two major parts to the tick life cycle: mice and deer. Reduce both of these, and the tick population will die down.

    Reintroduce predators of mice: hawks, owls, eagles, snakes. Maybe foxes. This is already happening in some places, actually.

    Put tick tubes in public parks and wilderness areas as well as homeowners’ yards. These simple devices simply provide permethrin-soaked cotton for mice to line their nests with. Harmless to the mice, but kills thousands of tick nymphs.

    Reduce deer: there are an estimated 38 million deer in the U.S., and they cause hundreds of fatalities on the road every year. They carry mature ticks and help spread Lyme disease far and wide. Without wolves, bear, and large cats, deer have zero predators.

    Hunting is tightly controlled, banned in some places, costs a lot of money for license and tags, and yet hunting is the only way to currently reduce the deer population. I say, reduce deer by 50% and we have cut back the deer tick problem significantly.

  28. Only one person has noted that environmental factors are really important to keeping tick populations down. Mice control is important by making sure there is a robust population of predators: hawks, fox, anything that eats mice. Us humans created this problem by eradicating all top predators leaving deer to reproduce like crazy, thus spreading the deer tick. Culling deer populations would help too, by opening hunting seasons for longer. Deer herds can double in two years without any controls. I am a nature lover but we have created artificial ecosystems that allows for this tick epidemic to rage. Better management needs to be done across agencies. it is now a public health emergency.

  29. You cannot create a vaccine for a relapsing fever organism, which is what Borrelia is. You also cannot create a vaccine for Borrelia due to Ospa, and antigenic variation. You also cannot create a single vaccine that is going to protect against the multiple pathogens that are transmitted by ticks with a single bite – bartonella, babesia, mycoplasma – all deadly. The Lyme Crooks are still at it, I see. Absolutely no level of accountability. My question is who are going to be the scaoegoats? Is Lyme rampant in India? Time to call Bill Gates.

    1. Who says modern scientists cannot make a vaccine that covers multiple infections and/or relapsing fever organisms ? You? Do you work in a vaccine lab?? Doubt it.
      Just because something has never been accomplished before does not mean its not worth pursuing.

  30. Ramp up fear..Anyone will jump on it..Money money.. I read about all these people getting Tick bourne Lyme..How many don’t know or keep up on info.Lyme is not tick BOURNE and there are other ways it is passed and they are still learning more. There are preventatives and alternative ways through..No none of it is easy but A vaccine IS an easy fix and an UNKNOWN Danger as is not being knowledgeable about what they are dealing with..All I’m saying is learn more before piling on more variables and learn how to build your immune system.

    1. Ramp up fear? I have lyme disease, and I can tell you there is not enough fear. This is very real, very scary, and it does not go down without years of fighting for your life. Please read up. It’s not as simple as building your immune system. I was in perfect health before I got bit. There are mutations I found out I have, such as MTHFR, that cannot be simply corrected by ramping up your immune system. This just makes it harder to get rid of lyme and company.

    2. Elyse, feel free to come take a hike on my tick infested property and go ahead and rely on your immune system to save you! Hilarious! According to you ticks dont even carry Lyme! Haha!
      Its easy for people who live in a tick free environment to have this attitude.
      I live in a community that has been absolutely ravaged by Lyme disease. If you lived here, you would be singing a very different tune.

  31. There are many different Strains of Borrelia. The University of PA did a study that found more than 16. Others have said it’s more like 40. The study showed that once a person has a particular strain they should be immune to that strain for 5-7 years. With those numbers you could still get Lyme Disease at least 16 times in 5 years. This new Lyme vaccine will make people think they are protected when in reality they could still get Lyme from all the other strains that are not represented in the vaccine. It also does nothing for the co-infections that come with a tick bite that are just as bad and also need treatment. On top of that the bacteria cause immune system damage which is the same thing the vaccine did. Thus the same symptoms

  32. It’s my understanding that the vaccine for dogs works in a different way than the former human vaccine, in that it works within the tick itself, not in the dog’s immune system. Why then, can we not formulate a similar vaccine for humans?

    With all the precautions taken (covering up, etc.), people are still getting bitten, so obviously that’s not adequate. Avoiding the outdoors is impossible as well, especially as ticks continue to move closer to residential areas. What then?

    We should be attempting to fight this infestation on multiple fronts. With vaccines, with eradication of the ticks main hosts (mice, deer–up to and including vaccination of deer if possible); with fungals (already being investigated) and by whatever other means at our disposal.

    Above all, we must hold our government responsible for ensuring that this is an imperative they cannot and will not be allowed to ignore.

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