If you’re out in wooded or brushy areas this summer and want to avoid Lyme disease, here’s the advice of the day: Wear long sleeves and pants, and check yourself frequently for ticks, which spread the disease.
But for a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, people had the option to take an even more preventative measure: They could get a Lyme disease vaccine.
Dr. Robert Aronowitz, medical doctor and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, joined Stateside to explain the history of Lyme disease in this country, and why getting a vaccine against the infection is no longer an option.
Listen above to hear more.
UPDATED July, 17, 2018: This post has been updated to correct a photo. In original publishing, a photo of a lonestar tick was used and misidentified as a deer tick. Lonestar ticks are not carriers of Lyme disease.
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