Isolation of the spirochaete Borrelia afzelii from the mosquito Aedes vexans in the Czech Republic. Isolation of the spirochaete Borrelia afzelii from the mosquito Aedes vexans in the Czech Republic. Smith has been working on Lyme issues for several years with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and Lyme groups. One group involved for the past 7 years and instrumental in shaping the bill is the Lyme Disease Association of New Jersey. Talk is cheap, and we have had plenty of that over the years.
Actions speak louder than words.
The bill, HR 3795, seeks to fund research into issues that have divided experts for years, often pitting government official against clinician and patient. A perfect example of that is the CDC's surveillance-only definition of Lyme which is continuously used as diagnostic criteria. The CDC is certainly aware of this misuse of the definition but does little or nothing publicly to correct it. A task force would be established with representatives from all of these sectors. The task force would provide advice to the secretaries of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense concerning priorities and distribution of monies.