Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change

Lyme disease is spreading rapidly around the globe as ticks move into places they could not survive before. The first epidemic to emerge in the era of climate change, the disease infects half a million people in the US and Europe each year, and untold multitudes in Canada, China, Russia, and Australia.

Mary Beth Pfeiffer shows how we have contributed to this growing menace, and how modern medicine has underestimated its danger. She tells the heart-rending stories of families destroyed by a single tick bite, of children disabled, and of one woman’s tragic choice after an exhaustive search for a cure.

Pfeiffer also warns of the emergence of other tick-borne illnesses that make Lyme more difficult to treat and pose their own grave risks. Lyme is an impeccably researched account of an enigmatic disease, making a powerful case for action to fight ticks, heal patients, and recognize humanity’s role in a modern scourge.

Reviews
“As Pfeiffer’s hard-hitting study reminds us, non-specific symptoms and other complexities make tackling Lyme a formidable challenge … She nimbly interweaves numerous strands of research – into the influence of climate change on the Lyme invasion, the disease, the pathogen, the vectors and the harrowing impacts borne by some sufferers.”
– Nature

“Superbly written and researched, Pfeiffer’s work should go a long way toward convincing the public to take this modern-day scourge more seriously.”
– Booklist

“Throws new light on one more danger caused by climate change. Pfeiffer points out the importance not only of combating ticks but also the need for doctors to respond quickly and provide appropriate treatment. A stark warning that Lyme is but the tip of the iceberg.”
– Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

“A major contribution to public knowledge of Lyme disease.”
– Christian Perronne, Head of the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Raymond Poincare University Hospital, Garches, France