Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discusses new Lyme disease vaccine

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, was featured in a Health article regarding a new vaccine to prevent Lyme disease. The vaccine, called VLA15, is being manufactured by Pfizer and Valneva. It is entering the final phase of clinical trials, which is expected to last several years.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, affecting as many as 476,000 individuals each year.

“I think it’s finally reached a point where it’s something that a lot of people have heard of,” said Dr. Pritt. “They’re worried, they’re concerned about Lyme disease, and so the time is right, and we certainly have the science to be able to create a Lyme disease vaccine.”