Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on a health issue faced by a number of my constituents. I will read an email I have received:

I have Lyme disease and I would greatly appreciate your patience and time in reading this email.

The physical and psychological impact on my life has been enormous. I lost my job as a school principal on March 2014 and have since been living on long service leave; pay in lieu of notice, newstart allowance and currently income protection.

After a blood sample was sent to Infectolab in Germany, I tested positive to borrelia (borrelia blot IgG p41, borrelien blot IgM p41, and borrelia burgdoferi elispot). I have heard of false positives and overseas labs fudging results, so I was sceptical myself until my wife tested positive to tests at Australian Biologics in Sydney. There are many strains of borrelia, but hers were positive to borrelia blot IgM p41, blot IgM p18 and blot IgG p41.

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The cost to the government when Lyme disease reaches a chronic level can be huge in terms of Medicare rebates (medication and GP visits) and government assistance (newstart allowance and parenting payments). Diagnosing this illness early would significantly reduce these costs.

Losing my job and later moving my family into my parents' house until my income protection was approved had a major psychological impact on me.

Laboratories can test for Lyme, but most GPs do not recognise and even criticise Lyme disease. Antibiotics can treat Lyme disease but the recovery is slow when left for too long.

I would greatly appreciate your support in recognising Lyme disease, so we can get faster diagnosis and treatment.

I have a number of other constituents within my electorate who have raised similar issues and in fact have sought medical treatment in South Africa, Germany and the USA. There are two constituents who are too ill to travel, so they are not accessing treatment at all. One of the challenges is that we have to have a look at this and not shut our ears to it. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health agreed to hold a roundtable hearing in Sydney in reference to its inquiry into chronic disease management and prevention in primary health care, with a focus on Lyme disease. I sincerely hope that out of that inquiry those that we hear from—not only those suffering from Lyme disease but the medical profession—will shed some light on a way forward for those who experience this debilitating health problem. It does cripple people. I have seen vibrant young constituents go from somebody who is active to somebody who is bedridden and whose health is suffering considerably.