Tag: StopTheBite

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

In November of 2024 the Nova Scotia Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Association was officially formed. 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. However, 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 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 presently have someone building us 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; however, depending upon the amount received, we may be able to arrange for one.

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 one of the highest rates of Lyme in the country and other tick-borne diseases, like Anaplasmosis, are steadily increasing in the 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 Google.

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 Nova Scotia Lyme Petition – Tick-Borne Diseases in Nova Scotia: Diagnosis, Treatment, Awareness Requirements

In early 2020 the NS Lyme Advocacy Group prepared a petition to be submitted to the NS Legislature. Unfortunately, the onset of COVID resulted in the demise of that petition. However, it has recently been restarted, with a few necessary updates.

Unfortunately, the NS Legislature does not permit electronic petitions. All petitions must bear original signatures of Nova Scotians and each page must include the full wording of the request for action. Our petition is quite wordy so only five signatures are possible on each page. This will hopefully result in a large stack of pages being provided to the NS Legislature.

Although our original intention was to have it tabled during the Fall sitting of the NS Legislature, we were unable to do so due to the early start and short length. Therefore, we are now hoping to table it during the next sitting, if at all possible. This delay allows us to continue to obtain signatures on the petition. As of October 8, 2024, I have over 1,000 signatures in my possession, with many more already obtained, but not received by myself. If you haven’t had a chance to sign the petition and/or want to help obtain signatures, please reach out to me. Contact info is below.

Although the requirement for original signatures does make it harder to obtain a large number of names, it is doable if we have a lot of help. People can go door to door; ask local businesses to have one available for signing; attend local markets/events; or just get friends and family to sign. If located in Nova Scotia and interested in helping to obtain signatures you can either print the petition – https://drive.google.com/file/d/101FpHegvu5OoHZCriuFS0pwl–UUmzLE/view or you can email me at donna.lugar@outlook.com with your address and I can send you copies of the petition. If you print them off yourself to drop off at local businesses, we have made a “poster” that can go with them. Let me know if you would like to receive a copy by email or mail.

We feel that this petition is important because:

  • many people are struggling in this province with a later stage of Lyme;
  • there are many people that reach out that tell us that their doctor told them that they don’t know much about Lyme and Tick-Borne diseases;
  • some things are being done by the government/NS Health without consulting those with lived experience resulting in concerns;
  • many doctors still believe that they must follow the IDSA Lyme Guidelines, rather than review all guidelines available and work with their patient;
  • information is generally only provided by NS Health on social media during May and sometimes sporadically at other times, even though ticks can be active any month of the year;
  • when government changes, politicians that spoke out a lot about the issue before they were in power become weirdly quiet.

The following is the wording:

We, the undersigned residents of Nova Scotia, hereby petition the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly to act upon our concerns with regard to tick-borne infections in this province.

WE ASK THAT THE GOVERNMENT:

  1. COMPLETE the three ASKS of the NS Lyme Disease Advocacy Group as presented to the PC Caucus in February of 2022. The three ASKS were:

– Adequate Education for all health care providers and residents.

– Development of a Dedicated Tick-Borne Diseases Care Clinic.

– Formation of a Non-Partisan Task Force, including those with lived experience.

2. UNDERTAKE a YEAR ROUND awareness campaign, such that ALL Nova Scotians, and visitors to the province, are informed about ticks, what diseases/infections they can carry, how to prevent being bitten, how to properly remove, how to landscape to prevent, how to get diagnosed/treated, that a negative ELISA does not mean that you do not have Lyme disease or another tick-borne disease, etc.

3. INCLUDE in the “Guidance for Primary Care and Emergency Medicine Providers in the Management of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Powassan virus infection in Nova Scotia”, the following disclaimer contained in the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme Guidelines, which the NS Infectious Diseases Expert Group recommends for treatment: “It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are assessments of current scientific and clinical information provided as an educational service; are not continually updated and may not reflect the most recent evidence (new evidence may emerge between the time information is developed and when it is published or read); should not be considered inclusive of all proper treatments methods of care, or as a statement of the standard of care; do not mandate any particular course of medical care; and are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. Whether and the extent to which to follow guidelines is voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient’s individual circumstances.”

Although electronic petitions are not allowed, we have prepared a Change.org petition to go along with, and promote, the paper one. The ability to comment as to why you are signing is huge. Please consider adding your reason. We hope that many people will sign both the paper copy, and sign and comment on the Change.org petition. It can be found here – https://chng.it/v2q2JvcgPY.

If you are unable to help obtain signatures, please consider sharing this info as the more people involved, the better. We need to finally show the NS government that this issue is of concern to many.

What Is It Going To Take For Meaningful Change?

When you think about the tainted blood scandal in Canada the name Janet Conners quickly springs to mind (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/aids-advocate-janet-conners-remembered-as-a-voice-impossible-to-ignore-1.6558941). When you think about HIV/AIDS activism in the US, you think about the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) (https://www.npr.org/2021/06/16/1007361916/act-up-a-history-of-aids-hiv-activism).

There are many similarities between the tainted blood scandal activism, the AIDS activism, and Lyme & Tick-Borne disease activism. You just have to read “How AIDS Activists Fought for Patients’ Rights” – https://www.history.com/news/act-up-aids-patient-rights to see some similarities. However, there are many differences as well. Unfortunately, although there are many Lyme Non-Profits; Lyme Support Groups; researchers; and more, there isn’t a cohesive group, or a person, that is known worldwide working on getting the masses together for protests and large scale events. Don’t get me wrong, there are many, many, people doing what they can but, for the most part, they are working either by themselves or with a small group. Larger organizations are doing amazing things undertaking research, holding conferences, etc., but we still have so much to do to get to a point where everyone is taking Tick-Borne diseases (TBDs) seriously and that those dealing with the effects of a tick bite receive the diagnosis and treatment that they require.

Frequently, when events are organized to raise awareness around the world, including in Nova Scotia, usually only small groups of people attend, if any at all. Organizers, such as myself, hear a number of reasons for the lack of attendance. Things like the time of day; the distance to travel; and that they are too sick to travel, are common to hear. However, I think the main reason, for many anyway, is that they are worried that if they speak up, or are seen out in public at a protest or gathering, any mainstream medical treatment that they might be receiving will be stopped and/or any future treatment required will not be provided as they are seen as causing trouble. These are all valid reasons.

To bypass these reasons we need more people involved that are not dealing with TBDs themselves. Those with family, friends, etc., dealing with TBDs, or even those that don’t know anyone presently dealing with TBDs, but are concerned about the ever increasing risk. The more “healthy” people involved, the better. The more people involved that are in health care and research would be amazing. How do we gather the troops?

When the powers that be actually start looking at the costs associated with no diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or under treatment, of TBDs, they will realize that the savings would be significant if ALL health care practitioners were adequately trained in ALL TBDs. Even better would be a clinic dedicated to TBDs such as the one we asked the provincial government for in 2022. In Nova Scotia, we have a high rate of a number of things that could be as a direct result of being the province with the highest rate of Lyme in the country, such as knee and hip replacements. We also have a very high rate of MS which can have similar symptoms as Late Disseminated Lyme. Not that long ago, when you were diagnosed with MS, it was just MS. Now there are different syndromes or disease courses – clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, primary progressive MS and secondary progressive MS (https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS). It is also interesting to note that Lyme is supposed to be one of the things to rule out prior to an MS diagnosis, yet there is no definitive, 100% accurate, test for Lyme. Nova Scotia also has fairly high rates of dementia, mental health issues, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ALS, and more. Why? Could the bacteria and viruses being transmitted by ticks be causing many of our issues?

The Nova Scotia government announced in December a new clinic implementing innovative approaches for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory Bowel Disease. The announcement mentioned that “Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a growing concern in Nova Scotia, with one in every 80 people, or 1.25 per cent of the population, affected by the chronic conditions of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It is interesting to note that cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease might actually be significantly reduced in Nova Scotia if TBDs were diagnosed and effectively treated on a more timely basis – “Borrelia Burgdorferi, a Root Cause of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case Report of Successful Treatment and Remission” – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37392196/.

I have mentioned this in the past but I was told many years ago by the head of the College of Physicians and Surgeons that it generally takes 20 years for research to filter down to the actual health care providers. The research and information that has been undertaken over the last twenty years on TBDs is amazing but only those directly affected by the issue seem to be aware of all the new advancements. Trying to get this information to the necessary people is problematic. Trying to get this information to people, and have them read it, is pretty much impossible. Our Chief Public Health Officer has told me on a few occasions that health care professionals are receiving information on TBDs, yet he always prefaces that comment with the fact that he cannot force them to read it. If very busy health care professionals do not believe an issue to be that important, they will not take their valuable time to learn more. Whose responsibility is it to ensure that they realize that the topic is VERY important and that more education is required. For the most part, most health care professionals that have taken it upon themselves to learn more have a personal reason for doing so. They had a family member, friend, or even themselves, struggle to get a diagnosis and treatment due to the lack of knowledge and information.

I have been attempting to form a new Non-Profit Association in Nova Scotia to help address some of the following:

  • Development of a comprehensive website, with information on all stages of Lyme and tick-borne diseases. 
  • Providing accurate, up-to-date, information to health care professionals through podcasts, interviews, Zoom presentations, etc. 
  • Organizing 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?
  • Get the 3 Asks of the provincial government implemented. 
  • 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. 

Unfortunately, I am having considerable trouble finding people with the health, time, and energy to be involved in something like this. I do believe something more formal than my NS Lyme Support Group or the NS Lyme Advocacy Group is required. Certainly a website would be very helpful so that all information is easy to locate, but that requires funds which an Association could help obtain. If interested in being involved, please reach out to me so that we can discuss further.

As I was writing this post I received an email with a link to the following research paper – https://www.mdpi.com/2647394, entitled ““Small Wins” for those with Lyme Disease in Canada: Patients in an Embodied Health Movement” which actually details a lot of what I am talking about. There have been “small wins” but there hasn’t been enough significant movement to help those with a later stage of Lyme and TBDs. There is also a large number of people that are unaware that ticks carrying diseases can cause debilitating, and even deadly, issues if not diagnosed and treated early. Many still believe the old adage that they are rare, hard to get, and easy to treat. Many also believe that they just cause a rash and flu-like symptoms. The reality is so different.

Please educate yourself and help educate others.