B.C. Doctors Under-Reporting Cases of Lyme Disease

I’ve already discussed the alarming statistics showing that Lyme Disease is drastically underreported through out North America. I came across this article from last year which indicated that we have known about the underreporting of Lyme Disease since at least 2012, even though updated statistics only hit the major news media outlets just a few months ago. I have found very few doctors in B.C. who treat Lyme and if the number of new cases are as underreported as the statistics are now showing, this means many people are in need of help. This seems very troubling to me, but also makes me feel fortunate that I have been learning as much as possible about Lyme Disease and will be able to help so many patients who are suffering from this illness. I wanted to share this brief news article from the Vancouver Sun, since my practice will be opening in B.C. Lyme disease doctors in BC who do treat lyme disease are aware of this epidemic

B.C. Doctors Under-Reporting Cases of Lyme Disease

April 29, 2012 Nearly two-thirds of B.C. doctors surveyed about Lyme disease admitted they didn’t comply with the requirement to report the last case they treated, according to a newly published report.Some of the reasons included “I forgot,’ or “Patient was from out of town or not mine,’ according to the survey, conducted by the BC Centre for Disease Control and published in the B.C. Medical Journal.Of the 77 doctors who answered that question, 61 per cent said they did not comply, citing negative lab tests, not-yet-available lab results, a low probability of disease or insufficient evidence. A few said it was a chronic case that had already been reported.Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by bites from the Pacific black-legged tick, which is common in many parts of B.C. and favours grassy and wooded areas. Left untreated, the illness can cause serious disability or death with second-stage symptoms including seizure, headache, extreme fatigue and arthritis.

Cases are notoriously under-diagnosed and under-reported, according to a report prepared for the Provincial Health Services Authority last year, when there were 20 cases reported to B.C. public health officials. That’s compared to seven in 2010 and 10 in 2009.

Source: Vancouver Sun