The latest from AHPRA on the treatment of Lyme Disease in Queensland

The latest from AHPRA on the treatment of Lyme Disease in Queensland as it appeared on Bare Bones Medicine Co's Facebook page May 5th 2014:

The Medical Board of Australia has made a ruling in respect to the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease patients in Queensland.
The following information must now be taken into consideration when forming an opinion on your diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
• Lyme Disease includes any illness caused by an organism known as Borrelia burgdorferi (including any strains of that organism, namely Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelli and Borrelia burgdorferi (stricto senso))
• Your practitioner must not diagnose and treat Lyme Disease without having obtained a positive diagnosis of Lyme Disease from a laboratory accredited by National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) using Centre for Disease and Control (CDC) criteria.
• Your practitioner must not treat any patient for Lyme Disease with intravenous antibiotics without having referred you to an Infectious Disease Specialist (IDS) for the development of a written treatment plan. The IDS is to be a Specialist approved by the Medical Board for that purpose. It is only then that your Practitioner may treat you for Lyme Disease.

Any other infection that you may have tested positive to or have been clinically diagnosed with is not considered to be Lyme Disease. Your treatment with your current Practitioner may therefore continue.