Lyme Disease Essay Example for Free

Lyme Disease Essay Chronic Lyme disease has been a controversial topic for many years. Researchers are in between opinions to determine if this disease really does exist. Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that passes to the tick’s host once it has latched on and started feeding. The disease goes into the host’s blood and implants a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. This type of bacterium is from the spirochete family. Stricker (2008) â€Å"Chronic infections with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is rare and non-existent, and the concept of chronic Lyme disease rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science† (Chronic Lyme Disease and the â€Å"Axis of Evil†). This is an article from a very popular website for medical information. The source may have a sense of bias toward particular topics. The statement, â€Å"†¦rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science† is a fallacy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), â€Å"Approximately 10 to 20% of patients treated for Lyme disease with a recommended 2–4 week course of antibiotics will have lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. In some cases, these can last for more than 6 months. Although often called chronic Lyme disease, this condition is properly known as Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS)† (Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome). This backs up the other half of researches stating that Lyme disease does not always go away after the initial treatment. There are known cases in which the symptoms are still active in the patient and must continue with treatment. This article comes from a credible government organization that has a goal to maintain the disease in the United States and inform the people of necessary information pertaining to different diseases and illnesses. The CDC is controlled by our countries government and is not to take a bias view on various topics. The data used is based upon studies that have been performed on human and non-human research. In conclusion it is clear that the first article did not have supporting studies however the second one did. Both articles are credible but the CDC is a government funded agency that is committed to the well-being of the people. Having back-up studies and scientific evidence to support any arguments that are made is important to keeping credibility, making sure the information is reliable, and the data gathered is valid.