I think a good test for Lyme disease would be more important than a vaccine (which is welcome too if it works well). The problem with Lyme disease is that it's symptoms are very wide and generic, and the commonly used tests are not very reliable. This means that many people live with the disease not aware of it, while others self-diagnose Lyme disease and cure it even if they didn't have it (because they had symptoms like longterm brain fog).
A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
21–30 of 428 posts
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understand the vaccine wasn't taken off the market by the FDA or science. It was taken off the market by the company producing it, due to pressure from lawsuits and bullshit concerns about risks.
You don't think vendors that sell products that can leave you maimed for the rest of your life, damage or eliminate entirely your earning potential, destroy your marital relations, and destroy future of your children should not be liable for injuries caused by their product? Really? You are against holding people liable for faulty products?
There wouldn't be a single car being sold if it was the case.
The vaccine was approved by the FDA, they did their part making sure it was safe. 100% certainty is impossible, and people should not be held liable to that.
Here, they pulled off their product off not because it was shown to be unsafe but because it was unprofitable. Due to the controversy, it was a tough sell, and lawsuits are costly no matter if you are right or wrong.
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#23As a US new england-er, this is game changer for walking through woods.
For those un-informed, on a walk through any woods, you should always wear high socks, and do a full body check for ticks after.
Deer ticks can be as small as a few grains of sand, and near undetectable if they latch on unless you have sharp eyes.
Obviously they can transmit lymes.
I had a close encounter a few years ago, but very luckily giant rings appeared around the bite site, making it a very easy diagnosis.
That only happens in 30% of cases though. The rest likely have no idea, and over time the disease will work it's way into your nervous system, causing permanent damage if not treated quickly enough.
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understand the vaccine wasn't taken off the market by the FDA or science. It was taken off the market by the company producing it, due to pressure from lawsuits and bullshit concerns about risks.
Antivax are people who don't want to take the vaccine. They're not against other people taking vaccines or the development of vaccines. You're likely misinformed.
Antivax isn't a single organized group, so being antivax can manifest in many ways. I know antivaxers who harass people who got vaccinated for Covid and protest.
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Antivax are people who don't want to take the vaccine. They're not against other people taking vaccines or the development of vaccines. You're likely misinformed.
Tell that to the antivaxers that attack vaccination sites and spread the propaganda.
You say the word “propaganda” pretty loosely.
I bet you also said “3 weeks to flatten the curve!”
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#26I think a good test for Lyme disease would be more important than a vaccine (which is welcome too if it works well). The problem with Lyme disease is that it's symptoms are very wide and generic, and the commonly used tests are not very reliable. This means that many people live with the disease not aware of it, while others self-diagnose Lyme disease and cure it even if they didn't have it (because they had symptoms…
I'm not sure why this is getting downvoted. Testing for lyme really is pretty unreliable. Given how hard it is to reliably test for, we really don't have a good grasp on how prevalent lyme infections are.
Another thing that would great, in addition to a vaccine and better testing, is prevention. Infected ticks are way more wide spread than they used to be. I've heard various reasons for this, including habitat loss of all kinds of animals. Simple measures can help, like eating more deer, or letting chickens roam free in high-tick areas.
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not antivax but if the company is sure its vaccine is safe, why should they fear lawsuits ?
Because in the US legal system that uses laypeople as judges ("juries"), lawsuits tend to be won by those who put on the best play for the juries, not by those who have the better arguments on their side like in Continental Europe. And to make matters worse, sometimes juries go for obscenely excessive damages against companies to "make a point" - just look at the McDonald's coffee case.
The McDonald’s coffee lawsuit was not frivolous[1][2]. The company served coffee at extremely dangerous temperatures. The claimant had severe third degree burns and only wanted McDonald’s to pay for her medical expenses. McDonald’s had a least 700 complaints about the problem before the lawsuit and did nothing until after the lawsuit. Please stop repeating corporate propaganda.
[1] https://youtu.be/s_jaU5V9FUg
[2] https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/16/13971482/...
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#28Yep, last summer I knew more people in my friend group that had lyme disease than people with covid.
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not antivax but if the company is sure its vaccine is safe, why should they fear lawsuits ?
Because in the US legal system that uses laypeople as judges ("juries"), lawsuits tend to be won by those who put on the best play for the juries, not by those who have the better arguments on their side like in Continental Europe. And to make matters worse, sometimes juries go for obscenely excessive damages against companies to "make a point" - just look at the McDonald's coffee case.
The McDonald's coffee case is often cited this way, but I think a spilled a coffee that causes third-degree burns and necessitates skin grafts is probably too hot.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restau...
Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way
#30In addition to the Pfizer/Valneva vaccine mentioned in the article, there is also one from Sanofi in development: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-020-0183-8
https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/news/news-detail/5483-a-new-lyme-va...