HARTFORD -- Since 1997, Kent Haydock has led efforts to manage Darien's deer population and stop the spread of tick-borne Lyme disease.
Having known several people who suffered from the illness, and having been treated for it twice himself, he cannot believe there is a national debate over the existence of chronic Lyme disease.
"Why are people saying there's no such thing?" Haydock said.
He was glad to learn Thursday the state House of Representatives took a strong stand on the issue. In a 137-0 vote, members passed legislation to reassure doctors they will not face retaliation if they choose to diagnose chronic Lyme disease and treat it with long-term antibiotics.
The measure heads to the state Senate.
"It comes down on the side of people who suffer from Lyme in this big debate," said state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, a bill co-sponsor. "It says the scientific community can have that debate, but we're not going to let anybody else go without treatment."
Discovered in the mid-1970s in Connecticut, Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, fatigue and a rash. If untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.
The commonly accepted treatment is up to 28 days of antibiotics.
Some patients -- including relatives of state Reps. Kim Fawcett, D-Fairfield, and Peggy Reeves, D-Wilton, who helped spearhead the bill --
Although the state Department of Public Health does not expressly forbid long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease sufferers, the national Infectious Diseases Society has dismissed chronic Lyme disease as a myth.
In a February letter to Connecticut legislators, Anne Gershon, president of the Virginia-based society, wrote that chronic Lyme disease has been promoted by "a small group of physicians," and "there are no convincing published scientific data" supporting its existence.
She also cautioned about the hazards of long-term antibiotic use.
Those who believe in chronic Lyme disease argue the society's position makes physicians in Connecticut and nationwide fearful of being reported to the health department if they choose to recognize and treat chronic Lyme.
"There is a 'chill effect' " on doctors, said state Rep. Jason Bartlett, D-Bethel.
The chronic Lyme disease debate reached a fever pitch in Connecticut in recent years because of a case involving Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a New Haven pediatrician renowned for treating the illness. In December 2007, the state Medical Examining Board, responding to an investigation by the Department of Public Health, fined Jones $10,000 and put him on probation for two years for diagnosing children with Lyme disease and treating them with antibiotics before examining them.
Jones is appealing his case.
In 2008, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced an anti-trust investigation of the Infectious Disease Society uncovered "serious flaws" in how the group crafted 2006 Lyme disease guidelines, including an effort to "block" scientists and physicians with opposing views.
The society has convened a new panel to consider updated guidelines.
Fawcett said Connecticut's legislation was developed in consultation with the state Department of Public Health, which had expressed concerns early on, and the Connecticut State Medical Society.
A health department spokesman could not be reached for comment Thursday. The medical society has stated it is not taking a position on chronic Lyme disease, but it backs the legislation because it supports the right of doctors to treat patents as they deem fit.
The society's support of the legislation helped convince state Rep. John Hetherington, R-New Canaan, to vote in favor of the chronic Lyme disease bill Thursday.
"I had heard from several doctors who had said it was against good medical practice to apply antibiotics over an unlimited time," Hetherington said. "I was incorrect in assuming the weight of medical authority was against this bill."
Asked for a response to the House passage of the bill, Steve Baragona, the Infectious Disease Society's communications officer, referred to Gershon's previous letter.
Haydock said the bill would go a long way to providing relief for Lyme disease sufferers.
"Connecticut is the worst state [for Lyme], and Fairfield and New Haven counties are the worst in the state," Haydock said. "It's just devastating to hear these doctors can't prescribe what they know is correct."
No comments:
Post a Comment