Backstory
Each year, Lyme and other tick-borne diseases affect hundreds of thousands in the United States and around the world. Of the patients who are fortunate enough to be diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease, 10–20% won’t fully recover.1
Tick-borne illnesses upend the wellbeing of patients and the financial security of their families. In the U.S. alone, the Lyme epidemic costs the healthcare system around $1 billion each year.2 Despite the efforts of many advocacy organizations, the general public remains mostly unaware of the risk of infection.
The situation is exacerbated by unresolved medical controversies that are in part fueled by unsettled science and underfunded research. For instance, in the United States, the incidence of HIV/AIDS is 6.5% of that of Lyme disease (30,635 HIV/AIDS cases in 20203 in contrast with 476,000 cases of Lyme disease4) while, according to the National Institutes of Health 2021 funding report, HIV/AIDS reaserch received 2,200% of that allocated to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases combined (HIV/AIDS research received grants for $3,082 million dollares compared to $135 million for tick-borne diseases5).
The goal of Lyme Chronicles
Zo and Gene, editors of Lyme Chronicles, are compiling a kaleidoscope of many diverse, authoritative voices reflecting on the obvious — and not-so-obvious — challenges that the Lyme and associated illnesses epidemic poses.
The editors hope that the holistic picture presented by the book in an approachable narrative will provide patients, their loved ones, as well as the general public with a broader understanding of the tick-borne illness epidemic — one that may evoke compassion, enhance healing, and lead to greater awareness about prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment options.
