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Lyme disease info misleading

Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

Re. "Taking the bite out of insect-borne diseases," by Steven Hill
(Question, May 8).

Dr. Coward's information on Lyme disease in British Columbia and the
implication that it is a rare disease is misleading and dangerous to the
public.

The truth is that there have been no competent studies to measure rates of
tick infectivity in the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia. And
since Lyme disease can be easily misdiagnosed, the true incidence of the
disease is unknown.

If doctors are led to believe the disease is rare, they will rarely consider
it in differential diagnosis. Dr. Coward also does not mention other
diseases that can be transmitted by ticks, either alone or in conjunction
with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease can be misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,
MS, ALS, cardiac problems, lupus and other conditions. These diseases are
certainly not rare. Lyme disease is the fastest-growing reportable
infectious disease in the United States, surpassing AIDS by a factor of four
or five. Northern California, where competent studies have been done, show
tick infection rates rivaling the worst areas of the Northeast. The
geography and climate of British Columbia are similar to Northern California
and the vector tick is endemic.

I suggest you contact Dr. Ernie Murakami of the University of British
Columbia for competent information on tick-borne diseases in British
Columbia.

Miguel Lizano

Battle Ground, Wash.

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