Given that there are 16+ tickborne illnesses, the impact would be limited. If you get bitten by a tick then you should probably just go on antibiotics anyway, since there is no comprehensive test for tickborne illnesses.
That is not a viable option for many people working in nature. Farmers, sheperds, folks working in a Zoo, etc. They not have to take antibiotics constantly.
The fact that there are no good vaccines really makes me mad, especially as a hiker.
True, but according to the article, "Lyme disease accounts for about 80 percent of the tick-borne illnesses in the U.S."
Plenty of people who get Lyme don't get the rash, and don't necessarily even know they were bitten by a tick. Deer ticks are tiny and you have to check yourself thoroughly to see them. An effective vaccine would be very helpful.
They probably mean the known tickborne illnesses. When illnesses are unknown it's often because they're rare, so it's probably a good estimate.
In any case, Lyme disease is very common and on that basis alone, a vaccine would prevent a lot of suffering, regardless of what other suffering remains in place.
Yeah, I've heard if you accidentally breath secondhand smoke you should probably start chemo too just to be safe.
Seriously though, if you actually hike in the northeast outdoors dealing with ticks are not a rare situation. In this past week alone I have had 2 deer ticks and 5 wood ticks on me . 1 wood tick actually did bite and it would be absurd to start an antibiotic course at this point.