Conference to develop a federal framework on Lyme disease (2016)

Thank you to all the participants that attended in-person and online.

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Conference summary report

About the conference

The Government of Canada held a conference to develop a federal framework on Lyme disease, as mandated by the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act.

The conference's aim was to develop a framework that would help prevent and reduce Lyme disease-related health risks to Canadians. It focused on:

  • medical surveillance for tracking:
    • incidence rates
    • associated economic costs
  • guidelines and best practices regarding:
    • treatment
    • prevention
    • identification
    • management
  • standardized educational materials:
    • to increase national awareness
    • for use by Canadian public health providers

The Public Health Agency of Canada opened the conference on behalf of the Minister of Health. Participants included:

  • provincial and territorial health ministers
  • stakeholders, including representatives of:
    • patient groups
    • the medical community

Planning committee

The conference planning committee organized the conference with help from the:

  • Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
  • Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada

Members included:

Gregory W. Taylor
Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada
Daniel Gregson
Past-President, Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
Jim Wilson
President and Founder, Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
George Chaconas
Canada Research Chair, Molecular Biology of Lyme Borreliosis
Gwen Barlee
National Policy Director, Spokesperson for the Wilderness Committee
Marguerite Glazer
Association Québécoise de la maladie de Lyme
Vett Lloyd
Professor of Biology, Mount Allison University
Ralph Hawkins
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary
Richard Rusk
Central Medical Officer of Health Services, Communicable Disease Control, Manitoba Health
Marc Ouellette
Scientific Director, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Joel Kettner
Professor, University of Manitoba
Gerald Evans
Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, and Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University

Accreditation

This conference was accredited by the:

  • College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Accreditation allows for professional credits to be earned for those who attended.

Federal Framework on Lyme Disease

The Federal Framework on Lyme Disease is now available online.

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