The Dangerous Conspiracy Theory Behind Mitt Romney’s Lyme Disease Mailers

[babylonsister]

A distraction, or fearmongering??

The Dangerous Conspiracy Theory Behind Mitt Romney’s Lyme Disease Mailers

By Judd Legum on Sep 29, 2012 at 6:08 pm


The Romney campaign is sending out a flyer in Northern Virginia pledging to fight Lyme Disease, which is describes as a “massive epidemic threatening Virginia”:



The Washington Post notes that “According to the CDC there are less than 1,000 reported cases of Lyme disease in Virginia a year — in a state of eight million people.”

It’s fairly difficult to contract Lyme disease because “an infected tick must be attached to the skin for at least 36 hours to transmit Lyme bacteria.” For those who are effected, there is a straight-forward and effective treatments for the disease — a course of antibiotics for 2 to 4 weeks.

So what’s the point of this Romney mailer?

A highly influential social conservative in Virginia, Michael Farris, believes that people can contract “chronic Lyme disease” that must be treated with long-term antibiotics. The Center for Disease Control says there is no such thing as “chronic Lyme disease” and “long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease has been associated with serious complications.”

more...

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/09/29/930901/the-dangerous-conspiracy-theory-behind-mitt-romneys-lyme-disease-mailers/

[RKP5637]

1. I think they're using a psychological tactic of 'paired association' that they are good, looking out

for people, and Obama is bad - CDC is incompetent. Only we, the R's, are competent, we are looking out for you. It's a sleazy tactic they're using IMO. Some, IMO, will make the subconscious link that Romney = good = looking out for health, vote Romney. Obama = bad = CDC is bad.

Yep, more fearmongering. Be afraid, vote Romney.

I really detest republicans.

[pnwmom]

2. This article is wrong. The CDC doesn't dispute the existence of long term Lyme disease symptoms,

or "chronic Lyme disease." It just calls it by another name.

I have no idea why anyone would think Romney would make better inroads against Lyme, however, than a President who is helping all Americans to get health care.

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postLDS/index.html

Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
Approximately 10 to 20% of patients treated for Lyme disease with a recommended 2-4 week course of antibiotics will have lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. In some cases, these can last for more than 6 months. Although often called "chronic Lyme disease," this condition is properly known as "Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome" (PTLDS).

The exact cause of PTLDS is not yet known. Most medical experts believe that the lingering symptoms are the result of residual damage to tissues and the immune system that occurred during the infection. Similar complications and "auto-immune" responses are known to occur following other infections, including Campylobacter (Guillain-Barre syndrome), Chlamydia (Reiter's syndrome), and Strep Throat (rheumatic heart disease). In contrast, some health care providers tell patients that these symptoms reflect persistent infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Recent animal studies have given rise to questions that require further research, and clinical studies to determine the cause of PTLDS in humans are ongoing.

Regardless of the cause of PTLDS, studies have not shown that patients who received prolonged courses of antibiotics do better in the long run than patients treated with placebo. Furthermore, long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease has been associated with serious complications. The good news is that patients with PTLDS almost always get better with time; the bad news is that it can take months to feel completely well.

If you have been treated for Lyme disease and still feel unwell, see your doctor to discuss how to relieve your suffering. Your doctor may want to treat you in ways similar to patients who have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. This does not mean that your doctor is dismissing your pain or saying that you have these conditions. It simply means that the doctor is trying to help you cope with your symptoms using the best tools available.

[freshwest]

3. I suspect they'll follow up with a story that you get it from voting. Just sayin'

[peacebird]

4. I've contracted lyme twice this year, once last year. Hubby got it once this year. Virginians.

But lyme is easily treated with doxy when caught early.
We live in Virginia, this year was brutal with ticks en masse starting in late February, but then saw none after the heat waves in July.

[pinboy3niner]

5. My brother contracted it in California

Walking through the brush to go surf fishing.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Is there a Lyme health campaign in Virginia and is...

Romney using it as a scare campaign tactic?

I've had it twice, and it was undiagnosed for several years until I constantly complained about my joint pains-- which eventually went away. Lyme is nasty, and can lead to scary heart conditions, but it's treatable and not as scary as some are making it if you get treatment.

Eliminating it might be impossible, although vaccinations may be developed.

[jberryhill]

7. Romney is an acknowledged expert on parasitic behavior

[pnwmom]

8. That must be it!