Whenever I bring up the need for a Lyme disease vaccine, I'm typically greeted by one of two responses. The first comes from Canadians who are incredulous that we have a vaccine to protect dogs and even horses from Lyme disease, but we do not currently have one to protect humans. The second comes from those who are fundamentally opposed to human vaccines against any and all illnesses.

In recent months, various media outlets have been reporting that Canada is anticipating an explosion of ticks this year thanks to a mild winter that has failed to kill off resident tick populations in many regions. As with everything related to Lyme disease, the situation is much more complicated than what's being reported.