Lyme disease remains one of the most common vector-borne infectious diseases in the Northern Hemisphere and its prevalence continues to increase. In the US, approximately 476,000 cases are diagnosed and treated each year, while Europe reported more than 130,000 annual cases.
Despite the substantial disease burden, no vaccine has been approved for human use. That may soon change.
In a press release, Pfizer and Valneva announced positive results from the phase 3 VALOR trial of their VLA15 Lyme disease vaccine.
Researchers evaluated the Lyme disease vaccine candidate PF-07307405 (LB6V, formerly VLA15) in the phase 3 VALOR trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study conducted in endemic regions across the US, Canada, and Europe. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, the NCT05477524 trial enrolled approximately 9400 participants aged 5 years or older.
The vaccination schedule included four doses: a primary series administered at months 0, 2, and 5-9, followed by a booster dose 1 year later, given immediately before the next tick season.
The results showed clinically encouraging protection. During the second tick season after completion of the primary immunization series, the incidence of confirmed Lyme disease cases was significantly lower in the vaccine group than in the placebo group. Vaccine efficacy reached 73.2% from day 28 after the fourth dose (95% CI, 15.8%-93.5%).
Researchers have noted that fewer Lyme disease cases occurred during the trial than initially expected. A predefined primary statistical endpoint was not formally met in the first analysis. However, this criterion was achieved in a second prespecified analysis. Despite these methodological limitations, researchers have described the findings as clinically relevant.
The vaccine candidate showed favorable tolerability in the VALOR study, and no safety signals were found at the time of analysis. Efficacy and safety data will guide the next steps. Based on the available findings, manufacturers plan to submit marketing authorization applications to regulatory agencies. If approved, this vaccine could become the first Lyme disease vaccine available for human use.
The vaccine targets the outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi. This vaccine covers six different serotypes that are epidemiologically relevant across North America and Europe.
After immunization, the body produces antibodies against OspA. When a tick feeds on the blood, these antibodies enter the tick’s gut and bind to Borrelia bacteria, blocking transmission to the human host. This vector-targeted approach differs from traditional vaccines, which primarily stimulate immune responses within the human body.
A Lyme disease vaccine, LYMErix, was approved in the US in the late 1990s. Although it showed good efficacy, it was withdrawn from the market in 2002 because of low demand, safety concerns despite limited supporting evidence, and negative public perception.
The clinical importance of an effective vaccine reflects the often nonspecific and variable presentation of Lyme disease. Early signs, such as erythema migrans or nonspecific general symptoms, are often overlooked or misinterpreted. Untreated infection can spread systemically and lead to complications, including Lyme arthritis, cardiac involvement, and neurologic manifestations. An effective vaccine could shift the focus from delayed diagnosis and treatment toward prevention. Such a change could substantially reduce the disease burden and long-term morbidity.
Vaccination may be particularly important for individuals with greater exposure to ticks, including outdoor workers and travelers to endemic regions. Researchers also expect a decline in chronic disease burden over time.
The VALOR trial findings provide robust evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of this new candidate vaccine for Lyme disease. Despite methodological limitations due to the small number of cases, the data suggest significant preventive potential.
If approved, the vaccine could reshape prevention strategies for one of the most common infectious diseases in Europe and North America, with important implications for clinical practice.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/first-lyme-vaccine-decades-nears-approval-2026a1000f7r
by Sundance via The Conservative Treehouse,
Appearing on MSNBC to talk to Lawfare ally Nicole Wallace, wife of New York Times narrative engineer Michael Schmidt – the guy who received leaks from FBI Director James Comey via Daniel Richman, former CIA Director John Brennan notes there are “legions” of operatives still embedded within the DOJ, FBI and CIA who are working against President Donald Trump.
This is not a surprise as we have noted the Trump administration continues to take apart the tentacles of Lawfare and Intelligence operatives in Main Justice, various U.S. Attorney offices, FBI Headquarters, FBI field offices and various Intelligence Community silos.
Marco Rubio has been working to clean up the National Security Council as well as the State Department operations, including USAID. Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe have been working on the NSA and CIA collaboratively, and Todd Blanche has been working through the Dept of Justice. FBI Director Kash Patel has removed about ten percent of the problem in his agency.
The core problem goes back to what we outlined on these pages {GO DEEP} and is not limited to those operatives who remain from the Obama/Biden era. Some of the problems surface as a result of ‘republican’ voices recommending “sleeper cell” staff and sketchy personnel for positions in the administration. [I’ll put an example below]
One way to tell if the agency head or leader understands the challenge is by paying attention to how they talk about the agency’s mission objective.
Leaders like Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard have openly acknowledged the problem and are actively tackling corruption within their ranks. Even John Ratcliffe has admitted his agency was politically weaponized and has taken steps to address it. There’s still a lot of work ahead, but their actions show visible progress.
People like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel have praised the institutional embeds without drawing attention to the corruption beneath them. Thankfully, Acting AG Todd Blanche seems to be taking a more confrontational approach internally, so maybe Kash Patel will follow suit. This isn’t about style—it’s about results, and there’s an urgent need for action.
To give an example of “sketchy” recommendations and predictable outcomes, I would draw attention to the lesser visible appointment of Morgan Ortagus. Do you remember this very weirdly worded announcement, two weeks prior to the inauguration?
I have no idea who “them” is referencing in the announcement.
There were always three options for “them”: (1) the strong republican support people; or (2) people in the Middle East who would be dealing with her; or (3) Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Regardless, of who “them” was, it was obvious President Trump was not thrilled by “their” request.
Mrs. Morgan Ortagus is a long time Deep State operative with roots in the U.S. intelligence community and USAID {citation}. It was very predictable that she would undermine the goals of President Trump and she only lasted six months in the job. Ortagus was quietly dispatched from her position in June 2025.
CTH predicted {SEE HERE} Mrs. Ortagus would be a big mistake because she was, quite frankly, one of the “legion” insiders referenced by former CIA Director John Brennan. Ortagus’s entire career profile was/is textbook intelligence operative, likely legacy CIA.
Not coincidentally, former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was removed from his position only a month before Ortagus lost hers.
On the day he was announced CTH said National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would be the first administration member to get the boot, because in the non-pretending world Waltz was a horrible choice just like Ortagus. Mike Waltz was removed as National Security Advisor in May 2025, {citation} Ortagus was removed as Middle East envoy in June {citation}.
If the goal was to eliminate the Deep State, President Trump couldn’t take on a deeply corrupt Intelligence Community while also appointing its allies. Their close ties to the Intelligence Community made the failures of both Waltz and Ortagus predictable.
That said, behind the veneer of John Brennan’s statement on MSNBC is a guy who realizes the Trump administration has changed the dynamic and the agency systems Brennan is talking about no longer exist; at least they no longer have the same capabilities.
The need for control is a reaction to fear, and Brennan’s fear is both visible and very well founded.
The DOJ and FBI operate under the influence of the Intelligence Community, which ultimately holds the reins. The key figures leading the IC have made changes to the institutions that have significantly reduced the impact of bad actors within the DOJ and FBI.
The key positions are the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe are the people to watch, and we can tell by the counsel(s) they have put into place that each of them has clear eyes and a steady hand on those critical institutions.
Since mid-year 2025, around the same time Waltz and Ortagus were dispatched, you will note significant changes began surfacing in the National Security Council, the State Dept, the DNI and importantly the CIA. Some of the changes make headlines, many do not; however, each is important and builds on a larger goal of dismantling a highly weaponized and political intelligence apparatus.
Internationally, what we see in the reaction of allied -or oppositional- governments and their intelligence agencies, is in large part a geopolitical reaction to the consequential changes being made by Rubio, Gabbard and Ratcliffe. Each building upon a system that fundamentally changes U.S. policy to be in alignment with President Trump. Each of them should be commended.
Domestically, the accountability developments involving James Comey, John Brennan, John Bolton, Michael Atkinson, Eric Ciaramella and others yet to emerge, stem from the transparency brought by the same trio working upstream from Main Justice and the FBI. The combined intelligence apparatus of the U.S. can cut through the chaff and countermeasures of Lawfare operatives, and I feel optimistic watching them in action.
Again, it’s not just the silo heads that are making a positive impact, it is the personnel decisions they are surrounding themselves with. The amount of sunlight now coming over the horizon is toxic to the interests of those who organized shadow operations.
As long as Rubio, Ratcliffe and especially Gabbard, keep pushing the truth to the surface; as long as they keep exposing all the corruption that was used to manipulate and weaponize our government; as long as they keep strategizing on ways to declassify evidence former officials buried under false pretenses; then the DOJ, FBI and more importantly We The People, will have information we can use to make decisions.
Ultimately, it is the truth which makes evil enterprise retreat.
Iraq secured safe passage for two very large crude carriers, each carrying about 2 million barrels of crude, that passed through the strait on Sunday, according to the report.
Iraq is seeking Iran’s approval for more transits to protect oil revenues that make up 95% of its budget, the report added, citing an Iraqi oil ministry official.
Two tankers loaded with Qatari LNG are also heading to Pakistan under a separate bilateral agreement between Islamabad and Tehran, the report said, citing two unnamed industry sources.
The sources said neither Iraq nor Pakistan made direct payments to Iran or Iran’s Revolutionary Guards over the transits, and Qatar was not directly involved in the bilateral deals.
In a statement to Reuters, the US State Department said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the issue during an April phone call.
“They agreed that no country or organization can be allowed to charge tolls to pass through international waterways like the Strait of Hormuz,” Reuters quoted State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott as saying.
“Given the slowdown in imports at our southern borders and southern ports, shifting corridors to northern ports and land borders is now on our agenda,” Ali Madanizadeh told state TV.
“A national working group has been formed for major planning, and provincial working groups have been set up in border provinces,” he said.
“All obstacles to imports, exports or transit of goods will be decided on in those provincial working groups,” Madanizadeh added.
The group said some refined petroleum products had still been exported, which it attributed to a lack of sanctions by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on certain tankers involved in those shipments.
The monitoring group added that multiple tankers remain idle or positioned both inside and outside what it described as a blockade perimeter, while others carrying cargo were clustered not far from Pakistan.
To our best knowledge, Iran hasn't successfully exported* any crude oil by sea over the past 28 days. Some refined products managed to escape because US OFAC did not slap sanctions on those tankers.
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) May 12, 2026
In addition, Kharg Island hasn't loaded any tankers since 2026-05-06 as a result…
