A New Year, A New Start

It’s hard to think about Lyme and tick-borne diseases (TBD’s), at least for me, due to everything that is happening in the world, especially to the south of us. Social media has many wonderful uses, but because of it, we all know everything that is happening, as it happens. It is not good for anyone’s mental health but especially anyone dealing with an illness. Stress can impact you in many ways. If nothing else, please do not read social media in bed. Certainly not before you go to sleep. Read a book, do a crossword, meditate, whatever works to help you get your mind off world events.

I always look forward to a new year as I always hope that this will be the year of change when it comes to Lyme and TBD’s. Every year I think that this has to be the year that we will see significant improvements made. We will have better educated health care practitioners. We will have better year-round awareness. We will see new and improved testing that can accurately tell you, at all stages, that you have Lyme so that treatment can start as quickly as possible. We will finally have the realization that one set of treatment guidelines does not work for everyone and that Lyme and tick-borne diseases need to be diagnosed and treated based on the patient, not on a standard one size fits all treatment. It doesn’t.

I had a bit of hope for this year but recent segments by CBC really angered most of us dealing with, or advocating for, Lyme and TBD’s – https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7048962, https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/celebrity-chronic-lyme-industry-9.7056234, and https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7068925. Although CBC has generally been quite good in getting accurate, up-to-date, information out to the public, as least in Nova Scotia, these three pieces have really done quite a bit of harm and made me think of articles that came out ten years ago, or more.

It is interest to note, in my opinion, that sometimes information like this gets publicized prior to a Lyme conference or event that might raise questions regarding how Lyme and tick-borne diseases are being dealt with in this country. It has happened before in 2019 when, just prior to the Bridgewater Lyme Conference, a doctor was brought in from the US to discuss Lyme with doctors at the IWK Hospital. He minimized Lyme by saying “it’s only Lyme” and actually joking about it.

This week there is a conference in Gatineau, Quebec to discuss Lyme and tick-borne diseases. On February 2nd, the day before the actual conference commences, there is a one hour (yes, only an hour) panel discussion entitled – “Navigating Complications of Lyme disease: Translating Research, Practice, and Experience to Improve Patient Care”. Unfortunately, the event is in-person only limiting the number of people that could benefit from this type of discussion. The panelists are Dr. John Aucott of Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Adrian Baranchuk of Queen’s University, Dr. Brian Fallon of Columbia University, and Dr. Ralph Hawkins of the University of Calgary. I would love to hear them speak as they are all very knowledgeable regarding the topic. The 2016 Lyme Conference in Ottawa allowed for people to watch and participate from their homes, ensuring that people that were unable to travel could benefit from the information shared.

On January 21st, Global News published the following article – https://globalnews.ca/news/11623135/lyme-disease-patients-care-gaps-canada/ which mentioned the panel discussion, but didn’t provide any information on how to attend. Very limited information seemed to be available other than on Facebook and perhaps other social media sites. It was not mentioned on the Agenda for the two day TickNet Conference that is taking place on February 3rd and 4th. It seems to be a stand alone event before the main event.

But back to the CBC segments. They questioned whether stars that have said that they have been diagnosed with Lyme truly have it. They questioned “Chronic Lyme”, which is more commonly know as Late Stage Lyme or Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. They mentioned the bull’s eye version of the erythema migrans (EM) rash, rather than the fact that other types of EM rashes are more common and that many people do not get, or see, a rash. They mentioned that most people can be treated with a short course of antibiotics but didn’t mention that many do not get diagnosed at the Early Localized (Acute) stage of Lyme and that as the Lyme bacteria progresses throughout the body to the Early Disseminated and Late Disseminated stages, symptoms can worsen and cause cardiac, neurologic and arthritic symptoms. They didn’t mention that ticks can carry other tick-borne diseases, such as Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and more, along with, or instead of Lyme, which can make a prompt, accurate, diagnosis much more difficult.

Dr. Michal Tal at the Tal Research Group at MIT is undertaking research on Long COVID and Late Lyme – https://talresearchgroup.mit.edu. They are looking at the similarities in the two and trying to determine why some people continue to have symptoms even after treatment. It’s worth reading about.

There are others that are looking at the same issue, such as Johns Hopkins – https://www.hopkinslyme.org/lyme-disease/treatment-and-prognosis-of-lyme-disease/ and Columbia University – https://news.columbia.edu/news/when-lyme-disease-doesnt-go-away, and many more. I selected these two specifically because doctors from both are part of the panel discussion in Quebec.

Lyme and tick-borne diseases can become debilitating, for a number of reasons, not least of which is that doctors are still not adequately educated on the topic. In Nova Scotia, for instance, I know of people in their third and fourth years of medical school that have advised that very little is mentioned, even though Nova Scotia has the highest rate of Lyme in Canada and one of the highest in North America.

Many doctors still think a negative ELISA blood test means you don’t have Lyme. They are unaware that there are several possible reasons why a test may be negative. Many doctors also still believe that the bull’s-eye version of the EM rash is the only type and will misdiagnose other types as Cellulitis, Ring-worm, and who knows what else. Many doctors are not aware that other tick-borne diseases, like Anaplasmosis, can alter the types of symptoms that can be seen and that children may have different symptoms.

There is so much we still need to learn but there is also a considerable amount of information available from places like Columbia University, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Mount Allison University, Acadia University, etc. Lots of research is being undertaken. Educate yourselves, preferably before you, or someone you love, is affected.

Help Needed – Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association

In November of 2024 the Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association was officially registered. At that time we had a six member board. Due to a variety of issues, such as moving out of the province and workloads, we have had three resignations. However, we have been fortunate to have three new people joining us. Having gone through this we now realize that we need a larger board so that we can maintain a quorum when some members are unable to attend. Therefore, we need YOU!

We have been meeting for an hour the first Thursday of the month at 7pm, via Zoom; however, we are in the process of trying to ascertain if this date/time is still working for everyone. Due to vacations and a limited Agenda we took July and August off.

Along with Board members, we also have a number of Lyme advocates that attend our meetings to keep them in the loop as they help with initiatives. We could also use more advocates.

We have no specific requirements to become a Board member other than you have to reside in Nova Scotia. We would love to include people from a number of stakeholder areas such as pharmacists, naturopaths, doctors, nurses, veterinarians (or people that work in that field), those that work in fields that are considered greater risk (Search & Rescue, NSPC line technicians, surveyors, and more), etc. Some knowledge of Lyme and tick-borne diseases would be helpful, but not necessary. We can educate you in that regard.

Please reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about being on the Board OR if you would like to help out with advocacy efforts. We are presently working on a website but we need financial assistance for this to come to fruition so fundraising ideas are needed. As well, we will be commencing our awareness building initiatives for early next year very soon and could use help in this regard.

If you are unable to commit to time, perhaps you can commit to a donation OR helping to get the word out that we need financial assistance to get things moving forward. If you know of anyone that might be interested in helping us out financially, please feel free to connect us. Unfortunately, we cannot provide tax receipts at this time as we are not a registered charity (working on it).

We are not asking for a lot of time or effort, just what you feel like you can give. We understand that everyone is busy, but Nova Scotia has the highest rate of Lyme in the country and other tick-borne diseases, like Anaplasmosis, are steadily increasing as well in this province.

We need to do more to help educate the general public and health care providers.

Interested? You can respond to this post or find me on social media.

Food Can Impact Your Lyme Journey

Two people reached out to me recently that were being treated for Lyme disease. Both wanted to know more about what they should, and should not, be eating, especially while taking antibiotics. As I went searching for information for them, I realized that there wasn’t really a comprehensive list available on-line. There are a number of books that speak about a “Lyme diet”, talk about healing through nutrition, etc., but there wasn’t any one link that I could provide. Therefore, I thought I would provide as much information as possible here.

The following are a few links with very useful information and are also informative websites:

You can usually reduce some symptoms with diet and supplementation; however, everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. One of my blog entries from a few years ago included some information regarding supplements that some people take, as well as other things people have tried during their journey to wellness. In case you haven’t read it, here it is again – https://shiningthelymelight.com/2021/01/14/there-is-lower-cost-help-for-the-rich-mans-illness/.

We can only do what we can do. Always! Healthy food tends to cost more and many people do not have the money to be able to purchase a lot of what is recommended. Preparing food can also take up all your energy or you may not have the energy necessary to prepare a meal.

This information is for assistance only. It’s not meant to be strictly followed.

If you can make small changes to your diet, supplementation, routine, etc., that will help build up your immune system, then do whatever you can do. We do have more control than we realize over how we deal with tick-borne diseases.

Once we take some control over what we put into our bodies, our mental health also usually improves, a least a bit. A positive mindset is also very helpful while dealing with tick-borne diseases. It can be hard to be positive when you feel awful, but once you know that you can take some control, especially if you don’t have a Lyme literate doctor, you should see some reduction in symptoms.

Baby steps.

Number of Ticks Being Seen This Year is Scary

I don’t know about you but I have been seeing a large number of posts this year regarding the number of ticks being seen; in places never seen before; and in an abundance that is terrifying to those of us that appreciate what a single tick bite can do if that one tick is carrying disease(s). Unfortunately, this increase does tend to happen after winters/springs that help ticks to survive and flourish.

Have you seen the posts, mostly by Vet Clinics, regarding ticks that have been in containers for month and then lay eggs? Thousands of eggs? Ticks are gross AND can be very dangerous.

The percentage carrying disease is also increasing with some areas having upwards of 70-80% carrying disease. Are you doing everything you can to try to prevent a tick bite? If not, please start.

Because some social media in Canada no longer allows links to news articles, many great articles are being missed unless you search for them on a regular basis. I do want to reiterate; however, some of the below mention the bull’s-eye “target” version of the erythema migrans (EM) Lyme rash. That particular version of the EM rash is seen in a minority of cases. Other rashes are actually more common. A bit more on that here – https://www.hopkinslyme.org/lyme-disease-awareness/lyme-disease-rash-presentations-may-not-be-what-you-think/.

The recent post by Justin Timberlake advising that he has Lyme disease has resulted in a lot of press as well.

Here are just a few that have been published over the last few months:

  • Makes sense to me that preventing a tick bite; reducing tick numbers; and stopping the tick from transmitting anything (not just Lyme) is the way to go. A vaccine for just one tick-borne disease might make people too lax in preventative measures, in my opinion – https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/tick-vaccine/.

These are just a sampling. With social media algorithms, limitations, etc., we are only seeing a small amount of what is being printed/posted. We need to help get this information out to a wider public, but how?

Thoughts on the best ways to increase the knowledge of everyone? Would love to hear from folks.

Tick-Borne Diseases in Nova Scotia/Canada – What’s Happening in 2025

It’s that time of the year when discussions are taking place regarding the various awareness initiatives that are going to occur, as well as determining what other initiatives are ongoing. In this regard, this is a good time to provide an update.

First of all, the Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association has now commenced regular monthly meetings. It is our intention to meet virtually the first Thursday of every month at 7pm. Unfortunately, we have had a recent resignation of a Board member who is leaving the province. If interested in being on the Board please reach out.

The NS Lyme Advocacy Group has started sitting in on the monthly meetings so that we are all working together toward common goals. As always, we are looking for help. Interested?

The Mission and Vision Statements of the Association are:

Mission Statement: To support, educate, and advocate for Nova Scotians by fostering awareness, providing resources, and promoting meaningful change in Lyme disease prevention and education through collaboration with Nova Scotia Health and other partners.”

Vision Statement: To be the trusted resource for Nova Scotians, fostering a comprehensive understanding of Lyme disease, prioritizing prevention through education, and expanding knowledge, awareness, and access to resources across the province.

Our two main initial goals are to complete a website and undertake fundraising. Funds are necessary to build/maintain the website and ensure that awareness initiatives can be undertaken. In this regard, we are looking for sponsorship/donations. If interested in helping us achieve our goals, please reach out to us. As well, if you know of groups, organizations, individuals, etc., that may be interested in helping out, please forward this information to them, or let us know who to contact.

We are now heavily involved with organizing the annual “Lyme Disease Awareness Month” proclamations and flag-raising’s for May. Four proclamations have now been received. Nova Scotia has proclaimed May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month; as well as the Town of Stellarton; the Cape Breton Regional Municipality; and the Municipality of the County of Colchester.

We have heard back from several municipal units that they will also be undertaking proclamations. As we have a more detailed list, I will continue to add the information in this document.

We also hope to have more buildings lit lime green this year to help raise awareness. If you have a building that you would like to light up green for all, or part, of May, the Pantone colour is Green: PMS 368c.

Two flag-raisings have been scheduled so far. The first one is at 9:00am, Thursday, May 1st at Halifax City Hall. The second is scheduled for 9:00 am, Saturday, May 3rd, at Province House. It would be very much appreciated if you could attend one, or both of these events. We need to show that this is an issue for many.

If you have a social media presence, even if it is a small one, please consider posting Lyme facts during the month of May. To help with that, the following is a blog entry that I did last year with enough facts about ticks and tick-borne diseases to take you through the month – https://shiningthelymelight.com/2024/05/09/lyme-disease-awareness-month-twitter-posts/.

The NS Lyme Advocacy Group helps organize and work on various initiatives. We could use a lot more hands on deck to help move things forward. Please reach out if interested in being involved. It’s not a large commitment. We could really use folks that would help out on behalf of people that are sick, rather than those that are sick trying to do too much.

The ongoing “Tick-Borne Diseases in Nova Scotia – Diagnosis, Treatment, Awareness Requirements” Petition was tabled in the NS Legislature on Wednesday, March 19th, by the Honourable Kim Masland, MLA for Liverpool, an area with a large number of people affected. The petition wording can be found in Hansard for Wednesday, March 19th – https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/hansard-debates/assembly-65-session-1/house_25mar19. This is a video of the tabling – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3BgwMBVTo&list=PLGn3UOvEam0vovpS9gdxnV_kAv8PSPvaD. It starts at approximately 19.23.

Now that the petition has been tabled, it would be a good time to follow up with letters/emails to your MLA requesting that they ensure that the petition Asks are undertaken. Briefly telling them your story and/or why you want to see that happen would be helpful.

This year a book was published called “Life With a Twist of Lyme – Hailey’s Story, a Mother’s Memoir” which is the true story of Hailey Kane, a young lady who shouldn’t have died at 17 years of age. This is a Nova Scotia story which should be read by everyone. It was written by Hailey’s mom, Susanne Kane. Although I knew some of the story because the Kane’s spoke in Wolfville, NS, a few years ago, the full story is truly unbelievable yet, to this day, there are people still going undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or not adequately treated. Why?

This year also saw a death of a young man in NS who was battling “Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome” or “Chronic Lyme”. Whatever you want to call it, he was originally misdiagnosed with Juvenile arthritis and eventually diagnosed with Lyme arthritis, treated, but still had lingering symptoms, as many can. Bradley Payzant died at the age of 28 from “health complications following Lyme disease” – https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/atlantic-sackville/obituaries/bradley-a-payzant/137272.html. A little more on the misdiagnosis – https://acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/art.38498. Has much changed? Not really.

There are presently at least two Lyme/Tick-Borne Diseases surveys underway in Canada:

  1. The Canadian Lyme Coalition, a newly formed advocacy group, has prepared a Canadian Lyme Survey – https://forms.office.com/r/ywJJKXfEAF. This survey has closed and some information has been shared – https://canadianlymecoalition.ca/.
  2. The Lloyd Tick Lab at Mount Allison University is doing a study on how best to manage tick bites and Lyme disease – https://limesurvey.mta.ca/index.php/337623?land=en. I have asked why the link has “limesurvey” rather than “lymesurvey” but have not yet heard back.

There are also a number of research initiatives underway in Nova Scotia and Canada. The following may not be a complete list:

Part of the awareness initiatives undertaken by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association includes – https://ticktalkcanada.com. This site has considerable information. As well, the CVMA’s National Tick Awareness Month initiative, that commences March 1st, ensures that discussions of ticks take place when they become more active.

I think it’s time to change Lyme Disease Awareness Month to earlier in the year, perhaps to coincide with the CVMA’s National Tick Awareness Month. Thoughts?

End of Year Review of the Lyme World – 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on a few items that have been worked on this year, as well as provide some additional information.

First of all, the submission of our petition to the NS Legislature will be a few months later than intended, but it will still be happening. Our intention is to have it tabled in the spring. Therefore, if you are still helping to obtain signatures, you can send them off to me by late January, at the latest. If you would like to help obtain signatures, please reach out to me for the printable link. This time of year would be great to obtain more signatures as friends and family gather for the holiday season. As an FYI, as of December 16, 2024, I have 1,673 signatures in my possession. Way to go everyone!

I am pleased to advise that as of November, the Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association is an officially registered non-profit with a Board of six. We would still love to have representation from the veterinary and/or medical doctor areas so please give it some thought. The Board presently consists of: Lisa Ali Learning – President; Donna Lugar – Vice President; Alexandria Brinkhurst-Bauer – Secretary; Léna de la Loire – Treasurer; Scott Wilson – Director; and Claudette Garland – Director.

The new Association is already working on a website that will hopefully be up and running early in 2025. Please let us know if there is anything specific that you would like to see included. It will be meant for Nova Scotians, with a lot of Nova Scotia specific info; however, it will have helpful information for all.

The Association is also looking at ways to help finance all that we would like to work on so please let us know if you would like to help out, or have some insight in this regard. We could also use help with events, especially in the spring. Please let us know if interested. Many hands make light work!

The NS Lyme Support Group is still meeting monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 12pm, via Zoom. All are welcome. We are still using Zoom, which was started during the height of COVID, because people from all over the province, and elsewhere, are able to attend. It has worked very well for most. An in-person meeting in the Bedford area is still being looked into re day, time, and location.

I was recently interviewed for a CTV piece on ticks and tick-borne diseases. It’s great to see something out this time of year as many tend to forget that ticks can be active anytime temperatures allow. That includes in December, January, February, etc. Here is a link – https://www.ctvnews.ca/video/c3039531-ctv-national-news–lyme-disease-concerns-in-canada?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar. I have been having difficulty getting it to run so you may have to Google it yourself for a better link.

During a recent NS Lyme Support Group meeting we discussed the fact that all medical school programs need to start looking at merging eastern and western medicine, or at least giving more consideration to eastern medicine. All doctors should be able to consider what is causing symptoms, rather than just looking at, and treating, all the individual symptoms. We also need to include prevention measures, such as diet, exercise, stress reduction, sleep quality/quantity, etc., within the medical school program.

We, as individuals, also need to take more control of our own health and stop totally relying on a medical professional that may have only received limited, or no, training on what is causing your ill health. Most mean well, but nobody has all the answers and they will never know as much as you do about your own body. Don’t listen if someone says that there is nothing wrong with you, that you are just getting older, you are not getting enough exercise, you are not socializing enough, you are not eating right, etc., etc., etc., especially if you have never had a conversation regarding your diet, social life, or exercise. I was told all of the above before finding out that I was dealing with tick-borne diseases.

Past blog entries include information on proper tick removal, prevention measures, boosting your immunity, etc., etc. Please take some time and educate yourself.

As the year comes to a close there is still no vaccine that would be effective for all tick-borne diseases that can potentially be transmitted; however, there are several different types of vaccines under development. An earlier post is available in this regard. In the interim, and even once available, prevention is key!

Don’t Get Complacent! Ticks Are Active!

After a fairly hot, dry, summer, we all may have gotten a little complacent as ticks weren’t as active as they were in the spring. However, now is not the time to forget to do tick checks and undertake tick bite prevention measures. Although ticks can now be active all year long, if temperatures allow, spring and fall is generally the most active time for adult blacklegged ticks – https://ticktalkcanada.com/seasonality-of-ticks/.

Prevention is key when it comes to tick bites as it can be hard for doctors to ascertain what tick-borne diseases you might be dealing with because of the variety of symptoms. In this regard, the following are some helpful suggestions to help avoid tick bites – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/ticks-tick-borne-diseases/prevent-tick-bites.html.

Unfortunately, even the most dedicated tick prevention person can miss a tick. Ticks are small; their bites tend to be painless; and they like to hide in warm, moist areas, that are generally harder to see. Although ticks can bite anywhere on your body, there is a “Top 10” list that includes: head and hair, in and around ears, back, under the arms, waist, belly button, around the groin, legs, behind the knees, and between the toes. Another fairly common spot is under a woman’s bra. There is no spot that is off limits.

If you do find an attached tick, proper removal is VERY important. You don’t want to panic and pull it off with your fingers. This could squeeze the body of the tick and force whatever it might be carrying to be transmitted into the host. The following is a good resource for proper tick removal – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/video/lyme-disease-properly-remove-tick.html.

Even if you know what kind of tick you found on you or a loved one, it is worthwhile to send photos to https://www.etick.ca/ as they map the location of all ticks found. As well, having the tick tested if it was engorged can provide useful information. Although not a diagnostic tool, it can provide valuable information as to what, if anything, the tick was carrying if symptoms arise. I am only aware of Geneticks (https://geneticks.ca/) that does tick testing in Canada. Unfortunately, it is a private company so there is a cost associated with having a tick tested. If financially able, I do suggest testing for more than just Lyme as ticks can be carrying a variety of things and it tends to be easier to find out what this way.

I think this is also a good time to remind people that although an erythema migrans (EM) Lyme rash is indicative of Lyme, not everyone gets a rash and many people don’t realize that there are a variety of forms. Although most are aware of the bull’s-eye version of an EM rash, they don’t realize that only a small percentage of people will actually get one that looks like a bull’s-eye. Other types of EM rashes are actually more common and can frequently be misdiagnosed due to this lack of knowledge – https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/media/pdfs/Wall-poster-The-Many-Forms-of-Lyme-Disease-Rashes-Erythema-Migrans.pdf.

I’ve been writing this blog for quite awhile now so there is a lot of information available if you wish to go back and review past posts. Some is Nova Scotia specific, but a lot is not. I’m also available to respond to questions and give presentations to groups.

A NS Lyme Support Group meeting is held the second Tuesday of every month at noon, via Zoom. A NS Lyme Advocacy Group has been active for a few years now and has organized events, met with politicians, etc. We are also looking for people willing to help.

We are also actively working on a Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association which should hopefully be officially up and running very soon. More on that in the coming months.

Enjoy the outdoors – safely. With mental health issues at a seemingly all time high, we all need that fresh air and sunshine.

Diagnosed Anaplasmosis Cases Are Rising

We have been hearing a lot more lately about Anaplasmosis and how it has increased significantly in Nova Scotia and other areas of Canada. With many doctors still unsure about Lyme, it’s time to chat a bit about Anaplasmosis as it is now reportable in Nova Scotia (and Canada), along with Babesiosis and Powassan virus.

Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by the bacteria A. phagocytophilum. These bacteria are spread to people by tick bites primarily from the blacklegged and western blacklegged ticks. Early signs and symptoms are usually mild or moderate and may include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches. If treatment is delayed or if someone is immune compromised, Anaplasmosis can cause severe illness. Prompt treatment can reduce your risk of developing severe illness. Signs and symptoms of severe (late stage) illness can include: death, respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure.

Although I know Anaplasmosis was found in dog ticks in Nova Scotia in 2017/2018, very few cases were reported in humans until recently. Researchers at Dalhousie University presented findings to the public at Lyme Disease Conferences in Halifax in both 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately we only have a link for the 2018 presentation – “Matthew Curry – Bacteria Prevalence of I. Scapularis and D. Variabilis in NS” –https://youtu.be/RDVE3C4QAIA?si=jmzV2CYfGkRUUBuW. Interesting to watch as it also mentions other things found in ticks that might be causing issues in this province.

This article is from November, 2019 and is mostly regarding Anaplasmosis in animals, although it touches on humans – https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/news/anaplasmosis-tick-borne-disease-showing-up-in-nova-scotia-382205/. Animals have been diagnosed with Anaplasmosis for awhile now in the province. “The first confirmed case of Anaplasmosis in a horse occurred in 2009 – “https://novascotia.ca/dhw/cdpc/documents/Tick-Borne-Disease-Response-Plan.pdf‘. Perhaps there have been cases in humans for awhile as well, but we were not looking for it because of lack of knowledge.

Just like Lyme, Anaplasmosis cases must fit certain criteria before being recorded as an official case – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/anaplasmosis/health-professionals/national-case-definition.html. Just like Lyme, recorded cases are no doubt considerably less than actual cases, especially as knowledge is limited regarding the disease.

The following is helpful info for NS health care practitioners from Dr. Jennifer Cram, Provincial Medical Officer of Health, NS Health and Wellness- https://physicians.nshealth.ca/sites/default/files/2024-07/OCMOH%20Memo%20-%20Tick%20Borne%20Diseases%20Program%20Update%2020230724%20Final.pdf. I have been frequently told over the years that although doctors are provided with information on Lyme and tick-borne diseases, they may not be reading it, so take this with you to your doctor, just in case.

It is important to remember the ticks can carry a number of pathogens at one time, or separate from Lyme. Some can be transmitted very quickly so prevention, or prompt and correct removal, is key. Some helpful information in this regard:

Do daily tick checks!

A New “NS Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association” In The Works

I have mentioned the need for a nonprofit Lyme Association in Nova Scotia in past blogs but I wanted to speak about just an Association today. As the province with the highest rate of Lyme and one of only a couple of provinces without a Lyme Association at the moment, it’s time.

Although the “Lunenburg Lyme Association” was in existence for a couple of years, and organized the Bridgewater Lyme Conference which was held in 2019, it has unfortunately ceased to exist. The need for a dedicated Association, providing information to the public and health care providers, has steadily grown. With the entire province now considered high risk, more needs to be done to ensure that residents, and visitors, are adequately educated.

Although we have a NS Lyme Advocacy Group and a NS Lyme Support Group, neither of these groups are organized in an official manner. A nonprofit would require a Board, thus providing some credibility when discussing issues with health care providers, politicians, etc.

These are a few of the things we see a Board, along with subcommittees, working on:

  • Development of a comprehensive website, with information on Lyme and tick-borne diseases. 
  • Provision of accurate, up-to-date, information to health care professionals through podcasts, interviews, Zoom presentations, etc. 
  • Organization of awareness/prevention events throughout the province, including those for Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
  • Undertaking fundraising through a variety of methods including, but not limited to – requesting donations from organizations and people; selling items such as garden flags, etc.; holding events such as a walk/kite flying event that would require sponsors; undertaking presentations to businesses/organizations; having a “gala” (which is a lofty goal); and more.
  • Involvement with health & wellness events throughout the province.
  • Organizing movie/documentary screenings.
  • Tick drags – for awareness/testing?
  • Pursue the implementation of the three Asks made to the provincial government. 
  • Development of a tick testing program in Nova Scotia, for all tick-borne diseases, not just Lyme. That may involve an expansion of Geneticks into the province, but it would be great to provide a free tick testing service.
  • Assist with more research. 

We presently have six people interested in being on the Board. However, to ensure that we include as many stakeholders as possible, and can have a quorum even if one or two people cannot attend a meeting, it would be beneficial to have at least two more Board members. It would be very helpful to have someone from the Veterinary and health care areas.

I believe that a Board would only need to meet once a month for one to two hours, preferably in the evening and via Zoom, or similar program. As Board members will reside throughout the province, virtual meetings make the most sense. Hopefully we could get together, in person, at least once a year.

Board members could be involved as much, or as little, as they want over and above the regularly scheduled Board meetings as there are a number of people interested in helping out, but not wanting to sit on a Board. These people will continue to be involved via subcommittees.

If interested in being involved, either on the Board, or helping with initiatives on subcommittees, please reach out to me via this site, or by email at donna.lugar@outlook.com. We would like to see the Board up and running prior to the end of August as we hope to have our on-going petition (more info on that in another blog post) presented to the NS Legislature during their fall sitting.

I realize that everyone is very busy but this is a very important initiative and a couple of hours of your time each month is not an unrealistic goal. If you can’t become involved at this time, please pass this information along to anyone you think might be interested.

Nova Scotia Pharmacists Can Now Diagnose/Treat Early/Acute Lyme

As of May 1, 2024, Nova Scotia Pharmacists have been able to diagnose and treat Early/Acute Lyme disease. The following is from the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists website under “Notices”:

“Effective May 1, 2024, pharmacists will be authorized to assess and prescribe for the treatment of early Lyme disease. For clarity, this is in addition to the existing authority to prescribe chemoprophylaxis for the prevention of Lyme disease. Of note:

  • The standards set out:
  • PANS will host an education session on assessing and prescribing for early Lyme disease with Drs. Tasha Ramsey and Emily Black at 7:00 PM on May 7, 2024. For more information and to register, please click on the appropriate link below:
  • PANS has been working with the Department of Health and Wellness on funding for this prescribing, with an expected announcement in May.”

As it is now June 24th and I have yet to see an announcement, I believe it is due to the fact that funding has not yet been finalized for all pharmacies. I have heard via two pharmacists now that some pharmacies are free for this service and some charge. The fee is fairly nominal but is apparently resulting in an announcement not yet being made.

I am given to understand that a person needs to have an erythema migrans (EM) rash for diagnosis so this will continue to eliminate a certain percentage of the population that do not get, or see, a rash, from receiving a prompt diagnosis. As well, I hope that pharmacists have been adequately trained on what constitutes an EM Lyme rash. Some helpful information – https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/lyme-disease-signs; https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs-symptoms/lyme-disease-rashes.html; and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9687974/.

Pharmacists are also required to utilize the NS Lyme Guidelines as prepared by the NS Infectious Disease Expert Group – https://novascotia.ca/dhw/cdpc/documents/statement-management-ld-hga-b-pvi.pdf. Unfortunately, these guidelines recommend following the IDSA Lyme Guidelines – https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/lyme-disease/ – even though the IDSA Lyme Guidelines include a disclaimer under the Notes section that they are guidelines only, are voluntary, and do not supplant physician judgement. The fact that there are at least three other Lyme guidelines available for use is not mentioned.

The three other Lyme guidelines are:

The other issue, of significant note, is that ticks can transmit other things along with, or instead of, Lyme. Hopefully people receiving a diagnosis and treatment of Lyme will be adequately educated on the fact that they should keep note of any new symptoms that might occur and to ensure follow-up if they do have some.