Lyme disease can cause devastating symptoms long-term if not diagnosed and treated early. Some have had Lyme which presented as MS or other musculoskeletal conditions resulting in painful headaches and joint pain. While a short course of antibiotics is often thought to resolve the infection, many experience long protracted symptoms due to late or inaccurate diagnoses. Years back, LYMErix was introduced as a vaccine to prevent Lyme. Unfortunately, the reported side effects of the vaccine resulted in it being removed from the marketplace by its manufacturer, SmithKlineBeecham. Later on, there were lawsuits brought by the Philadelphia law firm of Sheller, Ludwig & Bailey which represented 121 affected people. Ironically, the vaccine appeared to prevent infections by 80%. Pfizer and a French partner are beginning a trial for a new vaccine that will hopefully prevent infection from Lyme safely. Check out this article that recently appeared in USA Today. Seeking vaccine against Lyme disease, Pfizer and French partner Valneva launch major trial by Karen Weintraub USA TODAY Pfizer and a French partner are launching a large clinical trial of an experimental vaccine that would be the only to prevent Lyme disease, the companies announced Monday. If proven safe and effective, the vaccine, currently called VLA15, could be an important tool to stop the tick-borne disease that affects nearly half a million Americans a year. Although many people clear the infection with a course of antibiotics, others suffer for years from lingering symptoms. The first signs of a dangerous tick bite can include a bull's-eye rash, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle pain and a stiff neck. Without appropriate treatment, Lyme can cause arthritis, heart conditions and affect the nervous system. An earlier Lyme vaccine, LYMErix, was taken off the market in 2002 after concerns about its safety, never proven, drove down interest and its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, withdrew it. Read more