(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, Pfizer’s Lyme vaccine shows strong protection in a phase 3 clinical trial, but misses a key study goal. Meanwhile, experts say tick season may be starting earlier than usual this year.
Pfizer says its vaccine showed more than a 70% effectiveness at reducing Lyme disease. In the first analysis, the vaccine reduced confirmed Lyme cases by about 73.2% after the fourth dose. But because fewer people in the study got Lyme disease than expected, it fell short of its key requirement. This goal was meant to show the vaccine works even in a worst-case scenario. However, a second analysis did meet that benchmark and reduced cases by 74.8%.
This is good news because right now, there’s no vaccine available to prevent Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that’s spread when infected blacklegged ticks bite humans.
About 476,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year. The problem is, early symptoms - like a spreading rash, fatigue, fever, headaches, and muscle or joint pain - are often missed or mistaken for something else. And if it’s not treated, Lyme disease can lead to more serious problems that affect the joints, heart, and nervous system. So as ticks move into new areas, a vaccine could give people another way to help protect themselves.
When temperatures don’t stay cold long enough, ticks survive in things like leaf litter and snow cover. And while many of us love early spring, the sooner temperatures warm up, the sooner ticks become active.
Now, how can people protect themselves? Well, ticks live in grassy, wooded, and brushy areas. When in these environments, it helps to wear long sleeves and tuck pants into socks. Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or other EPA-registered ingredients. And be sure to do a full-body tick check when you come inside. Check behind the knees, under the arms, around the waist, between the legs, along the hairline, and on the scalp.
Most ticks need to be attached for about 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease, so catching them early makes a big difference. Also, early treatment with antibiotics gives you the best chance of a full recovery.
So as tick season gets underway, prevention is key. On the plus side, Pfizer may offer an effective vaccine in the future, as they plan to submit to regulatory authorities soon.
