BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Come the spring of 2023, you may not have to fear taking a walk in the woods because researchers in Massachusetts have developed a way to prevent Lyme Disease in humans with a yearly injection.
For about a decade, Dr. Mark Klempner of Mass. Biologics at the Umass Medical School has been working on a seasonal shot that would provide people with immunization against Lyme Disease for 9 months.
The shot has received federal approval and is now undergoing human testing in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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"The clinical trial is finally here, we started it and it's a novel way to approach prevention of Lyme Disease and we're highly hopeful it will be safe and effective," said Klempner.
He adds they're on their way to prove just that.
Klempner says normally, a vaccine triggers your body's immune system to create antibodies to fight off the disease.
However, this yearly shot would not work like a vaccine, but it injects medicine into your system that would kill the bacteria inside the tick before it has a chance to infect you.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports
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