LDA NEWS & UPDATES
September 2020
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The upcoming meeting of the HHS Working Group may be your last chance to influence language on persistent/chronic Lyme. At the last meeting, several members of the Working Group (WG) worked hard to have language related to patients with persistent Lyme symptoms removed from the WG report which will go to Congress at end of year. Read more
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American insurer Colonial Life is offering a new critical illness plan with optional rider that offers a lump sum benefit for hospitalization for treatment of COVID-19 and over 12 other infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Legionnaires’ disease, meningitis, and sepsis. |
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For the critical illness plan’s Lyme disease coverage: the date of Lyme disease diagnosis must be verified and confirmed to not be a pre-exisiting condition. Payment of the lump sum benefit varies by state and the type of coverage, ranging from $5,000 – $100,000; one lump sum per lifetime. A rider for hospitalization for various conditions, including Lyme disease can be added with a maximum payout of $150,000 per lifetime. Both individual and group plans are available. Read More on LDA's Website.
Disclaimer: LDA provides this information as a public service. LDA does not make product endorsements nor give permission to companies or individuals to use the LDA’s name to endorse their products.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered a new active ingredient called nootkatone that repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests including bed bugs, and fleas.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) discovered and developed the new ingredient, a non-toxic chemical found in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin in minute amounts. Nootkatone smells and tastes like grapefruit and is used in the
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Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) cases first appeared in April 2020 in China and since then, 37 more cases have occurred in Jiangsu and 23 in Anhui Provinces. SFTS is a haemorrhagic fever transmitted by the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick (Asian longhorned tick). The disease spreads rapidly, and has a high fatality rate. Therefore, it is of high concern to the World Health Organization (WHO). SFTS is a Phlebovirus.
Experts are now indicating possible transmission from humans via blood, the respiratory tract, and wounds and from infected animals to humans. Read more on LDA's website.
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Longhorned Ticks. Photo by James Occi, (PhD cand.) LDA Scientific & Professional Advisory Board |
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The LDA has been designated as a national charity included in the 2020 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Charity List. CFC is part of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Each year, |
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federal employees are provided with lists of approved charities for their workplace giving through the CFC. The LDA has met the requirements and been a part of CFC for 15 years running. LDA’s administrative and fundraising costs were determined to be only 2.7% for 2019, meaning 97.3% went directly to programs. Read more on LDA's website.
A special thanks to all of the volunteers who have helped with LDA's programs nationwide, and a special thanks to those who have been contributing through their federal workplace CFC to the Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
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The House of Representatives passed an amendment authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) which increases Lyme disease research funding by $4 million, for a total of $20 million, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for fiscal year 2021. The amendment, which passed July 30th, has been co-sponsored by lead Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson (MN), and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Max Rose (D-NY), and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ). Read more on LDA's website.
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In a recent study conducted in central Pennsylvania, evidence of emerging pathogens, some also common to ticks, have been found in fleas. Various pathogens can be spread by ectoparasites among animal host populations in nature. Along with ticks, fleas are found to commonly infest small mammals. The role of pathogen transmission cycles for these vectors is unknown. Only the white footed mouse tested positive for the blood‐borne pathogens examined, with 47 (18.1%) positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and ten (4.8%)
positive for Babesia microti. Other pathogens
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Photo by CDC, Peromyscus leucopus |
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With a new $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Utpal Pal, PhD, professor in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland (UMD) will be partnering with Matthias Schnell, director of the Jefferson Vaccine Center at Thomas Jefferson University to develop a novel “next-generation” Lyme disease vaccine. Read more on LDA's website.
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Shop on either of these and a portion of the sale will go to LDA: |
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888-366-6611 Toll Free Info Line
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