PENNSYLVANIA IS #1 IN DIAGNOSED CASES OF LYME DISEASE FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS
In 2015, the PA Department of Environmental Protection published a study showing “confirmation of the high risk of Lyme Disease in every county of the Commonwealth.” The study also confirmed the presence of two other human pathogen diseases, Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis in PA blacklegged ticks.
THE BACTERIA THAT CAUSES LYME DISEASE IS BORRELIA BURGDORFERI
There are five subspecies of Borrelia Burgdorferi, over 100 strains in the US and 300 strains worldwide. It is an invasive bacteria that can penetrate virtually any organ or system in the body, including the brain and central nervous system, joints, muscles and heart.
LYME DISEASE IS THE FASTEST GROWING VECTOR-BORNE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES
The CDC estimates that 329,000 cases occur in the United States every year. CDC studies have found that reported cases underestimate its true incidence by a factor of ten, indicating that tens of thousands of residents in PA may be infected with Lyme Disease each year.
STANDARD LYME DISEASE TESTS MAY FAIL TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE OVER HALF OF POSITIVE CASES
A recent report published by the PA Task Force on Lyme Disease and Related Tick-Borne Diseases concluded that “the most critical research gap is the lack of a gold-standard test for Lyme and for other tick-borne infections; a test that can quickly and accurately diagnose the disease, and prove or disprove ongoing persistence.”
LYME DISEASE IS CALLED “THE GREAT IMITATOR”
Symptoms often mimic those of many other diseases. Misdiagnoses include: Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s Disease, ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s Disease, mental illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, carpel tunnel syndrome and more. There are over 150 common Lyme Disease Symptoms that are core symptoms of other diseases.
