Some good news when it comes to Lyme Disease:
A new vaccine on the way should be effective against the six types of Borrelia that cause most Lyme disease in the US and Europe. “We are developing these vaccines for people living in the northern hemisphere on both sides of the Atlantic,” says Thomas Lingelbach, president of the French biotech company Valneva, which is running human trials of the vaccine. Depending on the type of bacteria, between 70 and 90 per cent of people in the trials develop antibodies, he says. The vaccine should be available in 2023. [NewScientist (6 June 2020)]
Given recent trends, this may be a very good thing:
Source: NewScientist
But I’m not sure of the relevance of this statement:
The trick won’t just be making sure that the vaccine works, though. It is also fighting anti-vaccine sentiment and building enough trust to get people to take it, says Lingelbach.
Lyme Disease is not transmitted directly human to human, but rather via the tick host. Unlike a vaccine for measles or the coronavirus, the menace of an unvaccinated human to human society is much lower; they are, in fact, mostly a menace to themselves. I’ve had the disease, and it’s not pleasant.
However, it’s not clear to me if my episode with the disease confers immunity, or if I’ll need a vaccination.
