Kingston doctor leading fight against Lyme disease

The federal government is funding a new national research network in Kingston, Ont., to try and stop the spread of Lyme disease.

The $4-million project will be headquartered at Queen's University and led by Dr. Kieran Moore, a Queen's professor and medical officer of health for the area.

Mooresaid climate change is causing warmer winters, givingticksa better chance of surviving and spreading the potentially debilitating disease.

Human cases of the the tick-borne bacterial disease,which can affect joints, the heart and the brain,are on the rise across Canada.

In Kingston alone, the number of confirmed cases tripledfrom approximately 60 in 2016 to more than 180 in 2017, Moore said.

Stubbornsymptoms

The new network will bring together scientists anddoctors from more than 40 institutions, along withpatients,to improve prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment.

"For the most part, once you're treatedthe infection is resolved. But some patients, even if they're treated appropriately, get ongoing symptoms," Moore said in an interview on Ontario MorningTuesday.

"We have created a network that hopefully can be able to monitor patients to see if there are more effectivetreatments for people with ongoing symptoms."

You can hear Dr. Kieran Moore's interview around the 4:00 mark: