Lyme disease vaccine trial results 'encouraging' after more than 70% efficacy shown, doctors say
NASSAU COUNTY (WABC) -- Spring has arrived, but along with it -- something far less welcome: tick season.
Lyme disease infects hundreds of thousands of people each year and now scientists may be on the verge of a breakthrough.
A new vaccine is showing promising results.
A walking group in Eisenhower Park is also a watchdog group as tick season approaches.
"I get a lotta notifications not to do walks at certain times. They're even here in the winter, so you really gotta be prepared," North Babylon resident Nancy Huber said.
In phase 3 of a randomized clinical vaccine trial with 9,400 participants, Pfizer and the French pharmaceutical company Valneva studied patients aged 5 and up and reported efficacy of at least 73 percent
Doctors are calling the news encouraging.
"It seems to be a very well-tolerated and safe vaccine from what we know," Dr. Martin Backer with NYU Langone Long Island said.
Stony Brook University Hospital participated in early phases of the clinical trial.
Doctors agree a vaccine could certainly prevent some of the more severe symptoms, especially in children, if Lyme isn't caught early.
(sot Dr. Andrew Handel/Stony Brook Children's Hospital)
"We see patients with Lyme meningitis, where it's infecting the fluid around the brain, or Lyme arthritis, where they have severe swelling in the joints that can progress to the point where they need surgery," Dr. Andrew Handel with Stony Brook Children's Hospital said.
The reality is that an increasing deer population means more ticks and Long Island has more than its fair share.
According to the New York State Department of Health, Nassau County had 521 cases of Lyme in 2024.
Suffolk County had more than 3,000, which was the most in the state.
The pharmaceutical companies say they plan to seek federal approval for the vaccine.
Currently, there's no Lyme vaccine for humans.
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