With delayed onset or chronic PTSD, symptoms may last months or years, and patients may frequently experience significant disability. There's a new vaccine available for the fight against Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by ticks that live in wooded and grassy areas. Approximately 16,000 new cases of Lyme disease are reported annually, mostly in the Northeast and in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The initial signs of Lyme disease are a bull's eye rash, followed by fatigue, chills, fever and joint pain, which can last for weeks.
Some patients develop arthritis.
Left untreated, Lyme disease can also cause heart and nervous system complications. Late in 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved the world's first Lyme disease vaccine, called LYMErix. The vaccine, manufactured by SmithKline Beecham, is recommended for anyone 15 to 70 years old who lives in Lyme disease-prone areas and spends time outdoors. The vaccine consists of two shots administered approximately a month apart, followed by a third shot a year later. After the three shots have been administered, there is an estimated 80 percent effectiveness rate.