With tick season upon us in many parts of the country, IDSA is working to promote awareness about Lyme disease.

To help clinicians and other health professionals recognize and diagnose Lyme disease, and treat it promptly and effectively, the Society offers a free, online CME course.  The course consists of a series of case studies and is based on IDSA’s clinical practice guidelines, with support through an educational grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See lymecourse.idsociety.org for more information.

To raise awareness in the lay public, IDSA developed a list of “Top 10 Facts about Lyme Disease” that includes information on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. See www.idsociety.org/lymedisease.htm under “Fact Sheets.”

In all of IDSA’s outreach, the Society continues to stress its concern that patients who believe they may have Lyme disease receive an appropriate diagnosis and the best possible care, with treatment that is safe, effective, and supported by the scientific evidence.

That’s particularly important in state legislatures, many of which have considered bills that sanction the use or mandate insurance coverage of prolonged antibiotic therapy to treat Lyme disease, despite evidence that such therapy is ineffective and potentially harmful. Such laws have been enacted in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and California. Similar bills have surfaced in other states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.  

Other states, such as Massachusetts, are considering legislation that would establish commissions or task forces on Lyme disease; such a task force is holding hearings in Virginia. A bill in Texas would provide educational resources on appropriate treatments for Lyme disease.

IDSA frequently weighs in on state Lyme bills, often working with state and local ID societies and other groups. For more information, see IDSA’s State and Regional Societies Legislative Map and Advocacy Resources.

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