Meeting Record

Representatives of NSW Health met with Lyme disease advocacy group representatives at the NSW Health head office at 73 Miller Street, North Sydney on 13 September 2012. A range of important issues were discussed related to Lyme disease in the areas of research, laboratory diagnosis, surveillance, clinician awareness and training, and treatment. A number of requests were put to NSW Health and these are outlined below, together with responses and actions that NSW Health has committed to undertake. 1. That Health Departments acknowledge the evidence that Lyme disease and co-infections exist in Australia. Lyme disease has been diagnosed in Australia. There is good evidence that Australian ticks transmit infectious diseases, such as Queensland Tick Typhus and Flinders Island Spotted Fever, and they can also cause tick paralysis and allergic reactions. Doctors in NSW should keep an open mind about the possibility that ticks may transmit Lyme disease in NSW. ACTION: NSW Health will review the current Lyme disease resources available on the NSW Health website to ensure that these do not discourage clinicians from keeping an open mind about the possibility of locally-acquired Lyme disease. 2. That resources be made available to improve Lyme disease and co-infections testing procedures in Australia to international standards. Standards for testing laboratories are set by the Commonwealth. Local laboratories should follow internationally validated testing procedures to diagnose patients with Lyme disease. Such tests are currently available through two public laboratories in NSW. ACTION: NSW Health will request the Public Health Laboratory Network of Australia to review whether resources are sufficient and appropriate for Lyme disease testing in Australia. 3. That resources be made available for research into tick-borne and other vector-borne illnesses in Australia. NSW Health encourages researchers to submit proposals to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to investigate tick-borne and other vector-borne illnesses in Australia. ACTION: NSW Health will write to the NHMRC to communicate the concerns raised by Lyme disease advocacy groups in Australia about the need for support for research into tick-borne and other vector-borne illnesses in Australia.

4. That medical professionals receive training in Lyme disease and co-infections diagnosis and treatment protocols to an international standard. ACTION: NSW Health will write to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Australian Society of Infectious Diseases to communicate the concerns raised regarding the training of medical professionals in the diagnosis and management of Lyme disease and coinfections and to seek their assistance in this matter. 5. That patients suffering Lyme disease and co-infections receive appropriate, ethical and respectful treatment in Australian public hospitals. NSW Healths policy and expectation is that all patients, regardless of their illness, receive appropriate, ethical and respectful treatment in public hospitals. While most patients with Lyme disease do not require hospitalisation, hospital admission is readily available if clinically indicated. The standard antibiotics recommended for the treatment of Lyme disease are also readily available in NSW. 6. That Lyme disease and co-infections be made notifiable to all Australian Government Health Services Departments. ACTION: NSW Health will write to the Communicable Disease Network of Australia to seek their advice on the issue of surveillance for Lyme disease and whether there should be national notification of Lyme disease. 7. That Health Departments promote public awareness of the importance of tick-bite prevention in the community. ACTION: NSW Health will review its current tick-prevention community resources and consider options for promoting tick-prevention awareness. 8. That workers acquiring Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections through occupational exposures to ticks may not have access to compensation through new work health and safety laws in NSW. ACTION: NSW Health will raise these concerns with WorkCover NSW. NSW Health will arrange for a further meeting with Lyme disease advocacy group representatives later in the year to review these issues and progress made.

Provided to meeting representatives

Date: 14 September 2012