As if you hadn’t noticed, summer has arrived. What does it mean? This means that the time has come for many dideases to return. So let’s get the bad news out of the way first. The number of cases has been increasing dramatically and the infections are getting more virulent. Because more people are building their houses out in the countryside where there are deer and other animals that carry the ticks. Now add in climate change. It’s influencing tick feeding behavior. The result is a surge in the number of serious cases of infection.

The good news is that Doxycycline continues to be a steady performer. You pop the pills for two to four weeks, and the infection clears up. The Center for Disease Control has begun development of a slow release version of Doxycycline. This may be by injection or by patch for those who are needle-shy. The aim is to replace the tablets with a single therapy active over a two week period. Until this comes out of the lab, you’ll just have to pop the tablets, but life may soon improve. So this year, more people are getting the chance to see this antibiotic at work. But over the next two years, there likely to be a change.