Lyme Disease Association newsletter

The webinar on persistence of Lyme disease after antibiotic therapy happened yesterday, but I understand it will be posted for listening to, after the fact. I will come back and edit this page to include the link once I have it.

Note the legislation introduced by US House of Representatives Democrat, Chris Gibson, in the second story below. "Vector-Borne Disease Research Act of 2014."

May 2014 In This Newsletter DC Lyme Legislation Introduced NYS Residents: Action Needed LDA/Columbia 15th Lyme Conference: Full House LDA/SLAM Partner To Raise Lyme Awareness In Memory of Pioneer Lyme Researcher Helpful Links About the LDA LDA Dr. Referral Lyme: Kids/Schools LDA Printables Lyme Case Maps  Donate Today! Don't wait - every dollar you donate helps the LDA continue it's educational programs and fund research to find a cure! Donate ... Join Our Mailing List RI Capitol "Green" for Lyme Awareness/Conference   Thanks to LDA Rhode Island Chapter Today: Federal Webinar on Lyme Persistence - Join In!    Sign Up Info Below  Ben Beard, PhD, CDC Speaker, LDA/Columbia 2012 Lyme Conference      Webinar Convener Today, May 22, 2014 from 1:00-2:30PM ET, a webinar hosted by the HHS Working Group on Lyme & Other TBD will highlight the state of research on persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi. Significant animal studies will be discussed by the researchers who did the studies. Phone lines will be available for call in questions.          Joseph J. Breen, PhD, NIH Facilitator, LDA/Columbia 2014 Lyme & TBD Conference   Webinar Moderator            Click here for Information on Webinar and How to Participate           Federal Lyme Legislation Introduced Yesterday in DC    The volunteer-run national Lyme Disease Association (LDA) is supporting the "Vector-Borne Disease Research Act of 2014," introduced yesterday by U.S. Representative Chris Gibson (NY-19). Since being Representative Chris Gibson elected to Congress in 2010, Rep. Gibson has been a vociferous proponent for better awareness, diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases (TBD). Upon entering office, he immediately joined with long-term Congressional advocates for TBD sufferers, Reps. Chris Smith (NJ) and Frank Wolf (VA), as well as the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, Colin Peterson (MN).   The Act strengthens the structure at the federal level for addressing vector-borne diseases, defined for the bill's purposes to mean infections "transmitted to humans or other animals by ticks, mosquitoes, or fleas, such as Lyme disease." The LDA appreciated the opportunity to provide input to the House as this legislation was being drafted to ensure robust provisions to address TBD within the more encompassing VBD bill.   The Act requires the Directors of NIH and CDC ("Directors"), within 6 months of enactment, to identify 2 or more bacterial or parasitic diseases that have a high domestic incidence and to develop a scientific framework for the conduct or support of research for each. For purposes of identifying a VBD and developing a scientific framework under this bill, tick-borne diseases, including Lyme and other TBD will be treated as a single VBD. That grouping takes into account the geographic spread of ticks, multiple infections carried by the same ticks, and the clinical significance of co-infections in humans. This action prevents the majority of lesser known TBD in the U.S. from being left outside the scope of a framework, but allows for discretion in how to address each TBD.   Read More Here   Action Needed - New York State Residents   Your assistance is needed to ensure that sick patients receive the   appropriate treatments that they require for Lyme disease.