Vampire story? No, tick story. The rest of the title is "The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons." The author and her husband were both bitten by ticks while on vacation off Martha's Vineyard in 2002. They both became seriously ill and had a very difficult time getting properly diagnosed and treated. Eventually, this experience led her to spend many years doing detailed research about ticks, the diseases they carry, and how they got that way.
Much of the book centers around scientist Willy Burgdorfer and his research and experimentation with ticks. Originally he was working on developing vaccines for tick-borne diseases. But as the Cold War geared up, his work gradually shifted toward biological warfare. He kept meticulous notes, but Kris found suspicious gaps in information. She was able to interview Willy at least twice before his death in 2014. Although he provided her with a great deal of information, he refused to fully disclose some vital details before his death.
Evidence suggests that some of the ticks from the biological warfare experiments either escaped, or were purposely turned loose. Many of these ticks carry not only Lyme disease, but one or two other diseases as well. This makes it very difficult for doctors to correctly diagnose their patients. Some of the other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, are caused by rickettsial organisms. Kris found that Lyme disease researchers "were so much more paranoid than their rickettsial counterparts." She concluded this had to do with a Supreme Court decision that made it possible for various organizations to patent and profit from "ownership" of live organisms. She writes, "With Lyme disease, there's no profit incentive for proactively treating someone with a few weeks of inexpensive, off-patent antibiotics. It's the patentable vaccines and mandatory tests-before-treatment that bring in the steady revenues year after year."
So politics, money and Big Pharma have become involved in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, which means people are not getting proper diagnoses and treatment.
Bottom line: this is a well-written, thoroughly researched book, and I have hardly done it justice in my review. You need to read it! Ask for it at your local library; that's where I found it.
