CanLyme calls for attention to Lyme Disease

The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation is calling for a full investigation into the symptoms around the illness.

CanLyme President Jim Wilson was in Kelowna Thursday afternoon, hosting a rally for their cause.

Wilson says thousands of Canadians with Lyme Disease have been misdiagnosed for other diseases, such as Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and various mental illnesses.

But he says other western countries with similar environmental conditions have startlingly contrasted figures:

"The European Union countries confirmed 85,000 cases in 2006.  The United States government for that same period, estimated they had 200,000 cases of Lyme Disease."

Wilson says the federal and provincial governments have virtually ignored the seriousness of Lyme Disease.  He says they're hoping to meet in the middle and ask them to consider a similar disease phenomenon they're seeing emerge here in Canada:

"We've re-named it A-R-L-S, which is Antibiotic Responsive Lyme-like Syndrome.  We want our government to investigate it.  If they don't want to look into Lyme, then please, look into that."

Denise Wong - Kelowna