Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the world, and it can cause debilitating symptoms if left untreated. It is caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia that are transmitted through a bite from an infected tick.
There is much controversy around the testing, prevalence and treatment of Lyme disease, both globally but especially in South Africa. As with all chronic illnesses, one of the key issues for sufferers of Lyme disease in South Africa is being dismissed by doctors as a psychiatric case or being wrongly diagnosed with depression or anxiety or another type of disease.
Our Lyme Disease Problem
Our Lyme disease problem is not a single issue, but rather an amalgamation of problems that all must be addressed to solve. The main problem is that Lyme disease itself does not exist in South Africa; it is not acknowledged by the medical profession and the government. Many doctors are unaware of it, or if they do know about it, they deny that it exists here.
The government has been slow to react to this situation and at times appears ignorant on the subject. The media has also been slow off the mark reporting on this growing crisis with only one recent article highlighting our plight published recently in a national newspaper – see “New Research Says South Africa Has One Of The Highest Rates Of Infection” (https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Latest-News/New-research-says-South-Africa-has-one-of-the–highest–rates–of–infection–20190802).
