Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing bacterial infections in the United States. According to outdated information on the Center for Disease Control Web Site, it is transmitted to humans solely through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.
Yet “lymies” or the people infected and their loved ones, are trolling the Internet looking for answers about other ways of transmission. The headline of this article alone netted over 1,160,000 Google search results today. The Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which causes Lyme disease, could possibly be spread in many ways — including sex.
The Center for Disease Control says no… for the most part.
“The CDC position on sexual intra-human Borrelia burgdorferi transmission is that it does not occur,” they argued in a recent statement. “We find no study that addresses sexual transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi among humans.”
Yet the CDC then went on to admit: “Conversely, we find no study supporting that sexual intra-human Borrelia burgdorferi transmission does not occur. Inferential data strongly suggest the possibility of human sexual transfer.”
So in essence, they are saying they can’t verify it because there are no reported cases because they have not studied it properly. I beg to differ with thousands of people leaving comments on threads, stating their case and fear of infecting their loved ones.
“This data comes from sound veterinary studies, the finding of Borrelia burgdorferi in human semen and breast milk, and by similarity to Treponema pallidum where sexual transfer is abundantly documented. Our clinical experience strongly suggests that predictable, possibly inevitable Borrelia burgdorferi transfer between sexually active couples occurs.”
What does this mean? It means passing Lyme disease to a partner through unprotected sex is a possibility – just like any other sexually transmitted disease.
Many experts believe the number of people infected with Lyme disease is grossly underreported, and the disease itself is significantly undiagnosed. This means that many infected people could be putting their partners at risk unknowingly. It also means there are people out there suffering from fatigue, depression and other known symptoms who are being misdiagnosed and mistreated. (There is a conspiracy theory on the money insurance companies are making off these poor patients in the video attached to the story).
The second worrying this is that Lyme disease is shown to be especially dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children, causing miscarriages, still births and passing the bacteria to children.
Obviously avoiding the disease is key to protecting yourself and your family from tick bites in the first place. And consistently practicing safe sex is key as well, but just like any other STD, it is still transmissible even with a condom.
I would suggest adding a Lyme test to your regular check-ups at your family doctor. Most likely your doctor will look at you like a space alien, so make sure you insist on it. It is easier to treat in the first few months than chronic long term Lyme. Watch “Under Our Skin” for further information. Also, please see my first follow up article with response from the CDC.
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