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Investigative journalist Kris Newby has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that secret bioweapons programs involving insects, conducted by the military and intelligence communities in the United States, may have led to the outbreak of Lyme disease. In this interview with The New American, Newby discusses the key findings of her book Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons, which reveals shocking details about these covert programs and their potential connection to Lyme disease, which affects over half a million individuals annually. The interview delves into the history of bioweapons research, specifically the bug-borne bioweapons program of the 1950s...

In much of the country, venturing beyond manicured lawns, into the woods or wild fields means you’re likely heading into tick territory. There is a lot of work underway to develop therapies to treat tick-borne illnesses and prevent them all together, including an ongoing Pfizer vaccine trial that has enrolled both adults and children. National Health Reporter Erin Billups introduces us to one family whose son is enrolled in the phase three clinical trial. Whether it’s playing with his sisters, corralling the ducks, or playing with baby chicks, 7-year-old Seamus Naughton is outside a lot. “I don't want my hands...

More than two decades after a promising vaccine for Lyme disease was pulled from the market, more tools to protect against the tick-borne illness —including a new shot — are on the horizon. Why it matters: There's worldwide concern about how climate change is helping drive the proliferation of ticks and transforming Lyme disease from a regional summertime nuisance into a year-round health threat that can damage the nervous system and require several weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy. "Untreated, Lyme disease can be very serious," Leana Wen, an emergency physician and a professor at George Washington University, told Axios Today....

NANTUCKET (CBS) — MIT researchers are unveiling their plan to tackle the growing threat of Lyme disease, and it involves releasing thousands of genetically modified mice on Nantucket. The Boston Globe reports that scientists this month explained to island residents their proposal to release potentially hundreds of thousands of mice that have been engineered to be resistant to the bacteria that causes Lyme. They say that if Lyme were less prevalent among mice, then fewer ticks that bite the rodents would contract the disease. As a result, there would be fewer cases of Lyme disease in humans bitten by ticks....

recorded the highest-ever concentration of ticks carrying a variant of potentially fatal Powassan virus called deer-tick virus (DTV). This rare virus has the potential to cause deadly infections with lasting neurological effects, and officials fear it and other serious tick-borne illnesses may become more common in the future. While many cases of Powassan virus are asymptomatic, those that are symptomatic can be deadly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)(opens in new tab). Initial symptoms include headache, fever and vomiting, with the most severe cases involving neurological complications such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis....

A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine is reporting the development of a novel mRNA-based vaccine designed to help resist tick bites. Preclinical tests in guinea pigs indicate the vaccine aids the immune system in recognizing tick bites, resulting in the parasites being dislodged before they can transmit any pathogenic disease. Over a dozen diseases can be transmitted by tick bites. The most well-known is Lyme disease, caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. In the past, vaccines have successfully been developed to specifically target this Lyme disease bacterium. However, this new vaccine candidate takes a different...

A Massachusetts doctor may have discovered a shot that will prevent Lyme disease in humans. The drug received federal approval from the Food and Drug Administration to be tested on people at the end of 2020. The Phase 1 clinical trial on 66 human subjects began last week. If effective, the shot will be available in the Spring of 2023.

Cannot copy text, this article discusses the bill introduced to Congress seeking to uncover the link between the spreading Lyme Complex plague in the US and Plum Island Bio Weapons research. Yes, we shot ourselves, then pretended it did not happen

13-year old Olivia Goodreau has been living with Lyme disease for half her life. She joined me today to tell her story from the tick bite to a myriad of symptoms to visiting 51 doctors before being diagnosed with the tick-borne disease. Olivia also talked about her nonprofit organization, LivLyme Foundation, which supports the work of researchers and scientists who are dedicated to finding the effective treatment for Lyme disease and ultimately finding the cure. We also talk about the TickTracker app, her idea which allows you to track & report ticks in real-time with geolocation. Jeff Stauffer, Founder of...

Ahead of what is projected to be one of the worst summers for tick-borne diseases in years in Westchester and Rockland Counties, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today urged, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to double-down on efforts to fully implement new laws, passed by Congress last year, that will significantly increase research, vaccine development and treatment strategies to help stamp out tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease. Schumer said any delay in federal action will allow newly emerging disease like Powassan, which is even deadlier than Lyme disease, to impact already highly vulnerable areas...

MARSHFIELD, Vt. (AP) — Tick numbers are on the rise across New England, raising the prospect of an increase in Lyme and other diseases associated with the blood suckers. Much of the region got a respite last year as the drought took a toll on ticks, whose numbers drop as the humidity falls below 85 percent. But the drought is largely gone from the region and ticks are taking advantage. Residents in Maine are complaining they are finding as many as 30 ticks at a time on their clothes, and public health officials in Vermont are reporting an above-average rate...

A dangerous, large scale outbreak of painful Lyme Disease is being predicted for this summer by a video reporter who has suggested that this animal disease might have been spread to the U.S. population as an inadvertent escape pathogen from the U.S. Plum Island Animal Research facility. Because we've had a very mild winter, "all the conditions are right for one of the biggest outbreaks of LD this summer," says video researcher David Zublick. "What if your backyard is a breeding ground for a most heinous act of bioterrorism by our own government," asks Zublick about research done at Plum...

As if Lyme disease isn't troubling enough, a more serious tick-borne disease may be emerging, experts warn. Powassan virus, which is a far rarer and more deadly pathogen than the bacterium that produces Lyme, is also transmitted by the deer tick. The virus can cause inflammation in the brain, which leads to death or permanent disability in 60 percent of cases.

Mild winters and big deer and mice populations mean more ticks and higher rates of Lyme disease diagnoses. Milder winters, burgeoning mice and deer populations and a bumper acorn crop from two years ago mean this year’s tick season is expected to be bad and more widespread, experts say. With that comes the threat of more tick-borne diseases, including the most common, Lyme disease. States like Connecticut—home to the town of Old Lyme where the disease was first diagnosed—are already reporting a higher number of ticks infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which causes Lyme disease, as well as other...

A new prediction says 2017 and 2018 will see major Lyme disease outbreaks in new areas. This could lead to lifelong health consequences, so where's the vaccine? Thanks to a changing climate it could be one of the worst on record: the ticks that carry the disease have been found in places where it has never before been a problem – and where most people don’t know how to respond. The danger zone isn’t confined to the US: similar signs are flagging potential outbreaks in Europe. Polish researchers predict a major outbreak there in 2018. In theory, Ostfeld’s early warning...

The United States has an epidemic brewing within our borders, and the problem is much more serious than most people realize. Lyme disease is spreading fast, and it only takes the bite of a poppy-seed-size tick to contract. Even after treatment, symptoms can be difficult to shake. Those infected can develop severe, rheumatoid arthritis-like joint and muscle pain. Fatigue and neurological disorders — such as numbness, tingling, weakness, and cognitive impairment — can set in too. Left untreated, infections can lead to brain inflammation or heart problems. At least a handful of such cases have proven fatal. A recent study...

Ted SieferJune 16, 2014 Deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks, are the prime carriers of Lyme disease, which is particularly common in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Large numbers of ticks, the parasites that carry Lyme disease, are expected to emerge in New England in the coming weeks, experts said on Friday. Abundant snow over the winter and a wet spring have created ideal conditions for ticks to come out in the warm weather and try to latch onto hosts, they said. "The next three to four weeks is the peak season of risk," said Sam Telford, an infectious disease...

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina has gone to the hospital because of an extended fever. Wilson's office said in a short statement Wednesday that the Republican was admitted. He is best known for being rebuked by the House for shouting, "You lie!" at President Barack Obama in 2009. Wilson later apologized. The statement contained no other details, including when the congressman was admitted, if he remained in the hospital, or the name of the hospital. Wilson's office said last week that he was taking antibiotics to treat symptoms of Lyme disease. Previously a little-known lawmaker, after the remark,...

Researchers find molecules that might mark elusive syndrome. Some patients with Lyme disease still show symptoms long after their treatment has finished. Now proteins have been discovered that set these people apart from those who are easily cured. People who experience the symptoms of Lyme disease, which include fatigue, soreness and memory or concentration loss, after treatment for the disorder are sometimes diagnosed as having chronic Lyme disease or post-Lyme disease syndrome. But these diagnoses are difficult to make, because the individuals no longer seem to harbour the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. And the symptoms could instead be indicative...

The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, one of the most important emerging diseases in the United States, appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, but one that is not strong enough to rout the infection, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. Results from this groundbreaking study involving mice may explain why some people experience repeated infections of Lyme disease. The study appears online in the journal Public Library of Science Biology at: http://tinyurl.com/3vs8pm9. "Our findings suggest for the first time that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in people, dogs...