As climate change shortens winters, warm-weather-loving ticks stay active for longer.
More than 475,000 people are diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease each year, according to CDC estimates.
But there is no pharmacological way topreventLyme disease from taking hold after a tick biteat least not in humans.
Photo Illustration by Lecia Landis for Verywell Health; Getty Images
Dogs have been getting vaccinated against Lyme for more than 30 years.
That could change very soon.
Avaccine by Pfizer and Valnevais in stage 3 clinical trials and could be ready for the next tick season.
Modernahas two vaccine candidatesin the works.
A Fraught History of Lyme Vaccines
Twenty-five years ago, a vaccine called LYMErix debuted.
It was shown to be 76% effective at preventing Lyme disease.
But by 2002, vaccine manufacturer SmithKlineBeecham pulled it from the market due to poor sales.
The company faced a class action lawsuit alleging that LYMErix caused arthritis in vaccine recipients.
For decades, other companies kept out of the market, fearing the same outcome.
Mothers are fed up with checking their children for ticks every day, Telford told Verywell.
It affects peoples quality of life.
A group of researchers at MassBiologics are taking a different approachaprophylaxisshot that delivers monoclonal antibodies directly to the individual.
When a tick bites, it sucks up some of the hosts blood into its stomach.
This keeps the bacteria stuck in the ticks gut and out of the hosts bloodstream.
And thats the kind of thing that you could do with amonoclonal antibody.
So far, Klempner said the only adverse reactions to Lyme PrEP have been some injection-site pain.
Lyme PrEP has only been tested in a phase 1 clinical trial to date.
Future trials will test the duration of protection and other key safety and efficacy measures.
Both VLA15 and Lyme PrEP target the sameBorreliaprotein as the ill-fated LYMErix did.
Will this time be different?
The answer, Telford said, is probably yes.
In addition, general interest in protection from Lyme disease gives the impression of high.
Its hard to believe anyone would argue against trying to protect children, Telford said.
For people who are skeptical of a traditional vaccine, Lyme PrEP could be more appealing.
Theres a lot of advantage to having choices, Telford said.
Everybody has their own picture of risk and their own picture of what they think they need.
Having more than one option is going to be fantastic for everybody.
Ticks in the U.S. can carry pathogens that cause 16 diseases, includingPowassan virus disease,ehrlichiosis, andbabesiosis.
Anti-Lyme vaccines wont protect against these other diseases.
Wearing socks and pants treated with permethrin or otherEPA-registeredrepellents can repel ticks.
Raking leaves and removing excess vegetation can make a yard less habitable for ticks.
Yes, its unpleasant to get bitten by a tick.
Yes, its a terrible thing to get sick from a tick bite, Telford said.
Nonetheless, people should not be afraid to go outside.
Its good for your health to be outside to enjoy nature.
If you live in a place where Lyme disease is endemic, experts recommend checking for ticks daily.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lyme disease: surveillance data.
