SmithKline is studying whether people will need yearly booster shots. SmithKline said it will ship the vaccine to doctors' offices in a few weeks, but refused to disclose the price. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium carried by pin-sized ticks that live in wooded and grassy areas nationwide, but especially in the Northeast and upper Midwest. The government counted about 16,000 new cases in 1996, the latest figures. Typically, Lyme disease causes a telltale bull's-eye rash plus fatigue, chills, fevers and joint pain.
Antibiotics can cure it.
But if it's left untreated, Lyme disease can severely damage the heart and nervous system. Until now, doctors' best advice was to use insecticide, watch for ticks and, when venturing into tick-prone areas like unmowed grass or brush, wear long sleeves and pants tucked into socks or boots. But that's hard advice to follow since ticks are most active in the summer. In addition, the tiny ticks are hard to spot and some patients don't suffer early Lyme symptoms, so not everyone at risk knows to seek help. SmithKline's LYMErix offers the first immune protection.