A woman's health ordeal has prompted a call for the Prime Minister to personally intervene in her plight.
Christine Jennings, 43, of Strathmore Road in Hinckley, fell ill after finding a deer tick in her skin in 1994 and believes she contracted Lyme disease.
She has since
become reliant on a wheelchair and suffers great pain when her eyes are exposed to light.
She has not yet received the antibiotics she believes are appropriate for the disease and went on hunger strike last month in a bid to get the treatment.
She ended it after 12 days, when she
was referred to her hospital of choice, James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, only to have the appointment cancelled because staff said they did not have diagnostic tests available.
Hinckley and Bosworth borough councillor David Thorpe believes Miss Jennings' case has
highlighted a national deficiency in the way Lyme disease patients are treated.
He has been contacted by sufferers and organisations since taking up her case and says the condition appears to be more widespread than is believed.
Mr Thorpe said: "Many people have mortgaged their
homes in order to seek treatment abroad because they are unable to obtain correct diagnosis and treatment in the UK.
"If the infected victim is not correctly diagnosed within a certain time it is very difficult to detect under the present testing regime.
"This can result in years
of suffering, and even when a victim is proved to be suffering from second and late stage Lyme disease, the standard treatment in the UK is a two-week course of antibiotics. American experts say that appropriate treatment can involve months if not years of antibiotics."
He is urging Mr
Blair to ensure GPs have more information and support to diagnose suspected cases of the disease and that funding is made available for treatment.
His letter has also received support from Stephanie Woodcock, chairman of national charity Lyme Disease Action, who says sufferers were often
misdiagnosed with other illnesses.
She said: "Coun Thorpe's letter reflects our own observations that many UK citizens are finding themselves to be victims of the illness.
"Unfortunately, all too often they are left without treatment which results in enormous and ongoing
suffering."
Lyme Disease Action, Registered Charity Number 1100448, Registered Company Number 4839410
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