Pathogens & People: Lyme disease: The good, the bad and the silly

By EDWARD, McSWEEGAN, For The Capital

Published 08/03/08

Summer is here with its annual flurry of news reports about Lyme disease and tick bites. This year's news is a lot like a newspaper; there's good news, bad news, comics and movie reviews.

First, the good news. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a slow-release antibiotic formulation that should protect against Lyme disease and a related tick-borne infection called anaplasmosis. Instead of swallowing antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin for two to four weeks, a single injection of slow-release doxycycline hyclate should provide effective protection or therapy for 19 days. A...

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Lyme - August 6, 2008

I would love to know what McSweegan gains by constantly attacking people suffering from Lyme Disease and the Doctors that are willing to try to help them. I really wish that Lyme Disease was as easily cured as he claims it is, but there are far too many people that are not cured by a simple course of antibiotics. These are the people that are members of the Lyme groups that McSweegan looks down on. These are people that are suffering. Lyme can be truly devastating. I think McSweegan's time as a public servant would be better spent if he would focus on trying to figure out why so many people still have problems after lyme treatment, rather than attacking people who are just trying to get their lives back, and the Doctors brave enough to try and help them. Also, the "Lyme Docudrama", entitled Under Our Skin, that McSweegan mentions in his article will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Chesapeake Christian Fellowship, 377 W. Central Ave. in Davidsonville. Perhaps Mr. McSweegan should see this movie so he can see true stories of people suffering with this disease. The event is free, and I am quite sure that Mr. McSweegan will NOT be attending.

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Ann C. - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Bad