Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have commissioned into Lyme disease; and what investment they have made to support finding a cure for that disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Two studies on Lyme disease are being undertaken in association with National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Emerging and Zoonotic Infections Health Protection Research Unit. One is focussing on studying the evolution of disease in patients, and the second is examining the evidence of exposure to the Lyme disease bacteria in the English population by region, using blood samples from the NHS Blood Transfusion & Transplant Service.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics and patients typically recover quickly and fully. Guidance accords with best practice used in the US and across Europe and is based upon the available evidence. A number of private clinics offer expensive and complex treatment regimens, caution should be exercised when accessing these services as treatments may not be supported by scientific evidence.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any public awareness campaign about Lyme disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) share Lyme disease messaging through theirour social, media and stakeholder channels at a national and regional level, most recently publishing the Tick awareness leaflet in March 2023.
The ‘Tick awareness’ leaflet informs the public about the risks associated with ticks including Lyme Disease and tick-bite prevention behaviours. A copy is attached.
UKHSA, along with local authority partners, have also developed a Tick awareness toolkit which includes resources and materials that can be used by local authorities and other organisations to deliver tick awareness campaigns. A copy is attached.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, (1) of the study and treatment of Lyme disease, and (2) of the delay of any tests, treatment, and misdiagnoses of Lyme disease in the UK.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department commissioned four reviews on Lyme disease published by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information group in December 2017. This was followed by definitive advice on treatment, testing and diagnosis of Lyme disease developed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in April 2018. Most cases are diagnosed on clinical signs by general practitioners, but laboratory testing is widely available through the National Health Service for more complicated cases. NHS testing follows the international best practice on Lyme disease tests and accords with European and US best practice. Some private clinics and laboratories offer their own tests which are not recognised by national health authorities, and for which little literature exists to support their veracity.