US Congress Launches Investigation into the Use of Ticks as Biological Weapons

SadaNews - After decades of secrecy and scientific controversy, the intriguing theories regarding the role of the US biological weapons program during the Cold War in the spread of Lyme disease have now become the subject of an official investigation.

Under direction from the US Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is preparing to search the classified archives of three federal agencies to find answers to a question that has haunted thousands of patients for decades: Were experiments actually conducted on "weaponizing ticks" and deploying them as a biological weapon, with the unintended result being the current Lyme epidemic?

This extraordinary investigation comes at a critical time as the United States is witnessing record numbers of tick-borne disease cases, amid rising public demands for the truth.

Behind this initiative is Democratic Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey, who chairs the Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus and is motivated by the significant rise in infection rates in his state, along with the mysterious historical links suggested by some evidence.

The roots of these controversial claims primarily trace back to writings and interviews with the late Swiss-American scientist Willy Burgdorfer, who discovered the bacteria causing Lyme disease, which is named after him.

These sources revealed his previous work as a researcher in the military biological weapons program, where he claimed that he and his team injected insects like ticks and fleas with various pathogens and studied scenarios for aerial dissemination, even testing the release of radioactive ticks to track their spread.

However, these narratives hit a strong wall of scientific and governmental rejection. Scientists rely on fossil evidence proving the existence of Lyme bacteria in North America long before the 20th century, describing this theory as a "debunked conspiracy."

The US Department of Homeland Security also issued an official statement firmly denying that the mysterious and suspect Plum Island research facility has conducted any research related to Lyme disease whatsoever.

It is worth mentioning that this legislative amendment proposed by Smith represents his third attempt, after two previous attempts passed the House of Representatives but stumbled in the Senate. The new investigation aims to put a definitive end to the ongoing controversy by conducting an independent and comprehensive examination of the archive and historical documents of the US military, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Agriculture from 1945 to 1975.

Thus, a case that has remained confined to books and rumors for decades is now an open file on the investigation table in the corridors of Congress. This represents a final attempt to separate historical truth from myth and to provide a conclusive answer for those afflicted who look to a murky past searching for the origin of their current pain, amidst one of the largest tick-related health crises in North America.

It is worth noting that Lyme disease is a bacterial infection primarily transmitted through bites from infected ticks. Common early symptoms include a distinctive rash resembling a bull's-eye, along with fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pains. If left untreated, the disease can spread and lead to serious complications including painful arthritis, neurological issues such as facial paralysis, memory problems, and heart rhythm disorders.

Source: Daily Mail