Lyme disease is the most common disease transmitted between humans and parasites in the U.S. Every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 476,000 cases are diagnosed.

“It's a lot of joint pain that they deal with. Some people get neurological symptoms...some people get heart symptoms where their heart rate might slow down and different electrical difficulties may come up with the heart - Lyme carditis,” explained Dr. Victor Kolade, a physician at Guthrie Internal Medicine.

Years ago, there was a preventative vaccine, but it was discontinued in 2002. Now, Pfizer and Valneva are testing a new one.

“There have been phase one and phase two trials and because they've led up to this point, that's why we're in phase three," Kolade explained. "That goes out and then the [Food and Drug Administration] gets the opportunity to rule yes or no.”

Guthrie is one of the places where testing is ongoing. It started back in 2022. More than 400 people enrolled, ages 9 to 90, from areas with a lot of Lyme disease cases across New York and Pennsylvania.

“People are going to be in the trial either until the end of 2024, for those that were enrolled last year, or the end of 2025, for those who enroll this year,” Kolade said.

Kolade is helping oversee the vaccines.

“I don't know who's getting true vaccine, or what I call a 'vaccine candidate,' and I don't know who's getting placebo or sham vaccine," Kolade said. "This is like running for election and not knowing what the polls say at all, but you run your best campaign and you walk into election day and you expect things to go well.”

With results expected by the end of 2025, he says if all goes well we could see a new vaccine by 2026. While that doesn’t remove the need for general preventative measures like bug spray, protective clothes, etc., it could give people just a bit more security.

"There are a lot of people who are outdoors so much or they have pets that are out there so much, that the risk of them being in contact with ticks is very high whether they notice it or not," Kolade said. "Having a way for people to prevent Lyme disease is huge.”

Guthrie is one of multiple testing partners across North America and Europe.