We were delighted to welcome seven international speakers to our symposium this year, all of whom are committed to raising awareness of the complexities and growing incidence of Lyme Disease and other vector-borne illnesses throughout the world.
Travelling from the USA we welcomed Dr Neil Spector (consultant oncologist) and Dr Bernard Raxlen (consultant psychiatrist); from France, Professor Christian Perronne (infectious diseases); from Germany, Dr Carsten Nicolaus (general medicine); from Ireland Dr Jack Lambert (infectious diseases) and from the UK, Professor Christopher Mathias (neurovascular medicine), and Professor Hany Elsheikha.(veterinary parasitology).
We were also grateful to the Big Tick project (MSD Animal Health) and MakeWell Nutritionals for their supporting presence and role as exhibitors.
The symposium was well received by an enthusiastic group of delegates, representing a wide range of specialties including; Cardiology, Paediatric Infectious diseases, Neurology, General Paediatrics, Infectious diseases, Immunology, Endocrinology, Epidemiology, Psychiatry, General medicine, General Practice, Alternative medicine, Microbiology, Genetic Research, Nursing, General Veterinary Science, Medical Law, Public Health and tick-borne illness research.
The lack of research and the focus on the need for ‘Evidence-Based’ medicine has hampered progress in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease and other vector-borne illnesses. The increasing recognition of the need for “Patient-Based, Evidence-Informed Medicine” – where guidelines are NOT tramlines, will hopefully lead to a more open-minded approach to patient care.
The rapidly increasing incidence of vector-borne illness and the severity of the resulting health issues is beyond doubt. The rationale behind our events is to provide opportunities for international specialists to meet face to face with clinicians who wish to look beyond the over-simplified mainstream approach to managing vector-borne illnesses. Given the right opportunities collaborations can and do flourish.
Our mission, to date:
1. To promote key advancement in areas such as, the understanding of vector ecology, habitats and routes, and ease of the pathogen infection process.
2. To dispel the myth that vector-borne pathogens and parasites are difficult to catch, easy to cure, and of minimal clinical significance.
3. To highlight the role of infectious agents in chronic multi-systemic illness in both humans and animals.
4. To raise awareness within the medical profession of the ever increasing body of evidence that supports the theories of sero-negative disease, chronic persistent infection, and the effectiveness of extended treatment regimes.
Vis-à-Vis Symposiums is a non-profit charity
