Nearly three decades ago, after reporting on severe Lyme disease cases on Long Island, I chose to receive a series of newly available vaccinations designed to prevent the illness following a tick bite.
In 1998, SmithKline Beecham introduced LYMErix, the first vaccine to help protect against Lyme disease. I received three doses from my family physician. I experienced no side effects, and although I was bitten by ticks in the years that followed, I never contracted Lyme disease.
In 2002, however, LYMErix was withdrawn from the market following a class-action lawsuit filed by 121 people who claimed they experienced adverse reactions, including arthritis, after being vaccinated.
Since then, Lyme disease has continued to surge across Long Island. Testing now shows that about half of all deer ticks in the region carry the disease. Many physicians no longer wait for the telltale bull’s-eye rash before starting treatment — instead, they prescribe antibiotics immediately when they confirm a tick bite.
Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme, have also spread worldwide. Climate change has contributed to the problem, with warmer winters leading to fewer cold days that might otherwise reduce tick populations.
An article published last month in New Scientist, titled “Ticking Time Bomb,” described the global rise of tick-borne illnesses. It stated that ticks “represent a vast and growing reservoir of viral, parasitic and bacterial pathogens” and currently “carry more human-infecting pathogens than any other disease-carrying organism.”
The report noted that tick populations are expanding rapidly, and bringing a growing number of diseases with them. “In the past 20 years,” it said, “the annual number of cases of tick-borne diseases in the U.S. has more than doubled.”
While no Lyme vaccine is currently available in the United States, several are under development. One candidate uses OspC protein antigens to provoke an immune response, and could be released in the coming years.
A June article in Newsday reported that New York-based Pfizer Inc. and the French pharmaceutical company Valneva have developed a Lyme vaccine called VLA15. It is in late-stage clinical trials, and could be submitted for Food and Drug Administration approval as early as 2026.
Still, the article noted that vaccine hesitancy may pose a barrier to widespread acceptance. “If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is,” the article stated, referencing the public pushback that followed LYMErix’s release in the late 1990s.
“A new shot for Lyme could face pushback,” the Newsday article’s headline, featured mixed public opinions. A retired police detective from East Yaphank said, “I don’t get any shots.” A woman from Bay Shore, however, said she would “for sure” get the new vaccine if it is approved by the FDA.
Additional resources on tick safety and disease prevention are available on Suffolk County’s Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory website, under the section “Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.”
Meanwhile, the State Legislature recently passed a resolution unanimously requiring the state Department of Health and other agencies to publish a report detailing tick populations and tick-borne illnesses by county. The measure was introduced by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., with co-sponsorship by Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni, of Sag Harbor.
“We need to fight this, and the only way to do so is to have timely and correct information at our fingertips,” Schiavoni said.
Carl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury whose courses include investigative reporting and environmental journalism.
