RFK Jr. pledged to fight Lyme disease. Does that include supporting a vaccine?

Key Points:

• Lyme disease cases in the US are increasing, with about 476,000 people diagnosed annually and the geographic range of ticks expanding due to climate change and land use changes.
• Pfizer plans to seek approval for a new Lyme disease vaccine, the first in over two decades, showing about 75% efficacy in clinical trials, similar to the 1998 Lyme vaccine Lymerix, which was withdrawn due to poor demand and safety concerns fueled by lawsuits.
• The previous Lyme vaccine faced limited government endorsement and public skepticism, leading to its market withdrawal despite no proven link to adverse effects like arthritis; the new vaccine aims to improve on this by targeting multiple bacterial proteins.
• Some Lyme disease advocacy groups remain cautious about the vaccine, noting it only protects against Lyme disease and not other tickborne infections, and emphasize the need for broader prevention strategies like tick control.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Health Secretary and Lyme disease advocate, has promoted controversial views on Lyme's origins and vaccines, which may influence the regulatory and public acceptance landscape for the new vaccine despite his stated commitment to combating Lyme disease.