Arizona Department of Health Services

02-06-06    TCT Dr. Victorio Vaz who was on the other line per Teresa.  Began leaving a msg w/Teresa and then she said she could transfer me to someone else who might be able to assist me.  Then she came on the line and told me Dr. Vaz was off the phone.  She transferred my call to Dr. Vaz.

Dr. Vaz apologized for the delay in getting back to me and said my letter was on his desk.  He informed me that he doesn’t have the Bb test results.  He said they were all negative and therefore there was no need to save the test results.  If they had been positive they would have saved them.  They have a lot of documents.  He did state that there were summaries of the reports, which were done in association with the CDC.  He informed me that he had spoken to the CDC regarding my request.

He then began questioning me as to the reason for my request for this information and he himself inferred that perhaps I thought that there was some sort of cover-up or tampering with information.  I told him that was not the reason for my request.  I told him he had informed me in his letter that testing had been performed and it was negative and I would like to obtain a copy of the test results.

He said that, per my letter, the issue was that providers were not diagnosing and providing health care and the health department has nothing to do with that.  I explained that most infectious disease specialists in the valley refuse to treat for Lyme disease, that you can call any of the practices and they’ll tell you “No, we don’t treat Lyme disease.”  I explained that some people in Arizona have contracted the illness here and most have contracted it elsewhere.  It’s not right that patients cannot be treated in Arizona for Lyme disease.  I also explained that physicians defer to the Arizona Department of Health Services for their information that there are no reported cases of Lyme disease in Arizona.

On several occasions, Dr. Vaz told me there are no test results available, and I continued to request copies of the test results.  I told him it seemed incredible that studies were conducted and then the results disposed of.  He told me there are summaries.

I explained that I had an erythema migrans that I got at Sunset Point rest area south of Cordes Junction, Arizona.  I told him it was very busy there that day and I have no way of knowing whether the tick was indigenous to Arizona or had hitchhiked on a traveler.

He agreed that either scenario was possible and we both agreed there was no way of knowing.

He said they have been documenting cases from 1995-2004 and there are 36 cases, none of which were contracted in Arizona.

He started talking about the burden of proof.  Then he mentioned economic benefits and people not coming to Arizona.  He began to talk about the fact that if Lyme disease “appeared to be contracted” in Arizona. 

He also mentioned that “Craig was involved in some of those surveys.”  He said he is very knowledgeable of this issue.  I am assuming he means Craig Levy, whom he referred me to in a previous letter.

He said he will finish the letter to me and agreed to include copies of the summaries.  I requested a contact name at the CDC who would be knowledgeable of the studies that were done.  He told me he will provide that in his letter to me.