Please sign this petition! We need to get as many signatures as possible, as soon as possible on this. Please send this announcement to everyone you know - this petition drive is not limited just to Lyme patients!
"Medical treatment guidelines are tremendously important in determining your treatment options. All important treatment guidelines are listed by the National Guidelines Clearinghouse (NGC), which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It’s the government’s way of providing updated information about different diseases to health care professionals. NGC’s own rules require that listed guidelines be updated every 5 years. The Infectious Diseases Society of America has not revised its controversial Lyme disease guidelines for more than 5 years. Nevertheless, the NGC recently permitted the IDSA to continue listing the Lyme guidelines without updating them.
The NGC’s decision was based on the IDSA’s claim that its antitrust review process in 2009 fulfilled NGC review requirements. We strongly disagree. (Read why here.)
The NGC needs to remove the IDSA 2006 Lyme guidelines listing until they have been fully reviewed and revised. The IDSA needs to review its guidelines in an open and transparent process that includes both patient advocacy representatives and physicians who treat chronic Lyme disease, reflects the current state of the science, and complies with GRADE–a rigorous assessment standard that the IDSA adopted for guidelines reviewed after 2008. If you agree, sign the petition to let them know!"
--from http://www.lymedisease.org/news/lymepolicywonk/901.html
To sign the petition, the direct link is:
http://www.lymedisease.org/petitionscript/index.php
Thanks!