The document discusses Lyme disease and the Minnesota Lyme Association. It provides information about Lyme disease symptoms, transmission from ticks, and challenges patients face. It also summarizes that the Minnesota Lyme Association is a non-profit dedicated to Lyme disease education, advocacy, and patient support. They work with national Lyme disease organizations and provide resources for patients and the public.

1. Lyme
Disease
Solving the
Puzzle
• Education & Prevention
• Patient Support & Advocacy
• ResearchMinnesota Lyme Association
Minnesota Lyme Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated
to education, advocacy and patient support.
MLA works cooperatively with the national Lyme Disease
Association(LDA) and affiliates around the country.
Visit www.mnlyme.org
email lyme@mnlyme.org
MLA is a Lyme Disease Association, Inc. affiliate
Minnesota Lyme Association materials, meeting
presentations and website information are provided for educational pur-
poses only.The information is not intended as medical advice and should
not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any disease. Where medical advice
is needed, a licensed health care professional should always be consulted.
Where Can I Find
More Information?
• Minnesota Lyme Association: mnlyme.org
• Columbia University Lyme Research Center:
columbia-lyme.org
• Lyme Disease Association:
lymediseaseassociation.org
• International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society:
ilads.org
• Lymedisease.org: www.lymedisease.org
What is Lyme Disease?
• Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that
can involve any area of the body.
Skin, joints and the nervous
system, including the brain,
are most frequently affected.
• Borrelia burgdorferi is the
bacterial cause of Lyme disease.
Borrelia burgorferi
Lyme’s Impact:
Many patients travel out of MN for care.
A national survey of 2500 patients found:
• 65% cut back or quit school/work
• 25% received disability payments
• People get Lyme
disease from the bites
of infected black-legged (deer) ticks.
• Ticks obtain bacterium by feeding
on infected animals and transmit the
infection during subsequent feedings.
• Many people don’t recall being bitten
because the ticks are small and the bites
are painless.
Engorged nymph
compared to pin
Minnesota Lyme Association

2. Know the Facts:
Incidence
• CDC estimates that actual cases are
10x higher than official reports. In
MN, this equates to roughly 12,000 new
cases per year based on reports.
Scientific Understanding
• The science is still evolving; many earlier
theories have been revised or disproved.
Treatment
• Treatment is most effective in early
disease when the infection is localized
to the skin but many patients experience
long-term problems. Once the infection
has spread, cures are less common and
post-treatment symptoms occur frequently.
This is especially true for the prevailing
treatment regimens.
• Antibiotic retreatment may be beneficial.
Two NIH-funded studies demonstrated
that some people improved with
addtional antibiotic therapy.
• Multiple peer-reviewed papers have
documented that the bacteria can survive
commonly prescribed antibiotic treatment
regimens.
Minnesota Tick-Borne
Disease Risk
Lyme in Minnesota
CDC on August 19, 2013
http://goo.gl/TBVzSN
“The number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme
each year is around 300,000.”
• Minnesota consistently ranks in the top 10
states for reported cases of Lyme disease.
• Reported cases increased by 18% in the
past 5 years.
• Other common tick-borne diseases
include anaplasmosis, babesiosis and
bartonellosis.
• Deer ticks carrying the agents of Lyme
and other tick-borne disease can be found
on golf courses, city parks, camp sites
and perhaps your own backyard.
A Startling Revision of Disease Estimates by the CDC:
What Can Elected Representatives Do?
• Listen to constituents.
• Encourage community-based education and prevention strategies.
• Support policies that safeguard patient access to physicians
providing innovative, patient-centered care.
• Allocate money for research.
• Minnesota Board of Medical Practice issued
a moratorium on investigating or disciplining
of physicians based solely on their
prescription of long-term antibiotic therapy
for Lyme disease.
• Patients gain access to a wider range
of treatment options and physicians because
it allows physicians to offer individualized,
patient-centered care.
• Expires in 2015; MBMP had hoped that new
trials would settle the matter during the
5-year period but none have been done.
• Patients want the moratorium extended until
definitive studies have been done.
Minnesotans across
the state are at risk
for acquiring tick-
borne diseases;
cases have been
reported in nearly
every county in the
state.
MBMP Moratorium
Wear the Lyme
support pin