Month: August 2020

Ill woman with headache and fever. What does she have? getty Like an unwanted stepchild, Lyme keeps getting lost in the shuffle. This time, it is Covid-19 pandemic that is understandably overshadowing it. But Lyme continues to infect an estimated 300,000 people in the US each year and there are some parallels between the two illnesses, as well as obvious differences. Clinical notes While Lyme and Covid-19 are very different infections, the former caused by the bacteria (Borrelia burgorferi) and the latter a virus (SARS-CoV-2), there are a couple of notable similarities. The most striking to me is that both are great masqueraders. Covid-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic, to life-threatening respiratory failure from pneumonia. More surprising symptoms include loss of smell (anosmia) and ...

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN     (CNN) -- Country music star Shania Twain has said she feared she would never be able to sing again, after Lyme disease left her with nerve damage to her vocal cords. The "You're Still The One" hitmaker opened up about her "devastating" battle with the debilitating illness during an appearance on British talk show "Loose Women" Monday, adding that she still struggles to talk normally. Twain had previously revealed that shecontracted the bacterial infection after being bitten by a tick while horseback ridingin Norfolk, Virginia in 2003. After developing problems with her vocal cords and losing her voice, she took a break from performing. "There was a long time I thought I would never sing again," the Canadian-born singer told "Loose Women" hosts...

Country music star Shania Twain has said she feared she would never be able to sing again, after Lyme disease left her with nerve damage to her vocal cords. The "You're Still The One" hitmaker opened up about her "devastating" battle with the debilitating illness during an appearance on British talk show "Loose Women" Monday, adding that she still struggles to talk normally. Twain had previously revealed that she contracted the bacterial infection after being bitten by a tick while horseback riding in Norfolk, Virginia in 2003. After developing problems with her vocal cords and losing her voice, she took a break from performing. "There was a long time I thought I would never sing again," the Canadian-born singer told "Loose Women" hosts Jane Moore, Charlene White, Coleen Nolan a...

Ticks are the vectors that transmit Lyme disease. A tick bite starts as a small, red area and gets larger. Often the center of the widening circle clears and the red area around it forms a bull’s-eye. Go to the Mayo Clinic website for photos of tick bites (www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease). Late summer is a high-risk time for vector-borne illnesses, and spending time in grassy or heavily wooded areas increases your risk. Ticks tend to attach themselves to places that are hard to see (armpits, scalp, etc.), making it harder to notice. Go to www.cdc.gov/lyme for information on Lyme Disease. Not all ticks carry disease, but the best strategy is to prevent any tick bites. Do this: Wear long sleeves and pants in tall grass and wooded areas. Use insect repellent with DEET. Ch...

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WATERTOWN — In the era of COVID-19, with the world preoccupied, it can be easy to overlook other more common diseases such as Lyme disease. Because both COVID and Lyme are flu-like and share some similar symptoms, one can easily be mistaken for the other in the beginning stages of the diseases. “At the beginning, it might not be clear which one is what,” said Marylene J. Duah, MD, of the Infectious Disease department at Samaritan Medical Center. “And now everybody thinks everything’s COVID, so my knee jerk response would be first test for COVID to get it out of the way.” COVID symptoms differ widely, but the most common indicators are fever, muscle or body aches, headache, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. According to the CDC, symptoms appear two to 14 days after exposure t...

WATERTOWN — In the era of COVID-19, with the world preoccupied, it can be easy to overlook other more common diseases such as Lyme disease. Because both COVID and Lyme are flu-like and share some similar symptoms, one can easily be mistaken for the other in the beginning stages of the diseases. “At the beginning, it might not be clear which one is what,” said Marylene J. Duah, MD, of the Infectious Disease department at Samaritan Medical Center. “And now everybody thinks everything’s COVID, so my knee jerk response would be first test for COVID to get it out of the way.” COVID symptoms differ widely, but the most common indicators are fever, muscle or body aches, headache, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. According to the CDC, symptoms appear two to 14 days after exposure t...

During the coronavirus pandemic, researchers are documenting the change in time spent in areas where people might encounter ticks. A national survey was jointly created with Hollins University, Duke University, Clemson University, and the University of Rhode Island the goal to determine if coronavirus restrictions have affected the time that people or their pets spend outdoors and if this change is associated with an increased risk of exposure to ticks. “A big part of my research group is ticks and tick-borne diseases,” said Dr. Michael Yabsley, professor of wildlife disease with a joint appointment in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “I think about ticks a lot.” And now he h...

Tuesday, August 11, 2020 GoLocalProv News Team View Larger + A new study finds that one Rhode Island county has among the highest percentage of those contracting Lyme disease. The risk for exposure to vector-borne diseases caused by bug bites may increase as mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks can spread viruses and bacteria, including Zika, bubonic plague, and Lyme disease. “Of all tick-borne diseases in the United States, Lyme disease is the most prevalent. According to a 2018 study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of tick-borne disease in the U.S. and its territories more than doubled from 2004 to 2016, with Lyme disease making up 82% of these cases,” writes Wall Street 247. 37. Washington County, Rhode Island> Lyme disease cases 5 years through...

WASHINGTON, DC -- The House of Representative recently approved an uptick in Lyme disease research funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Representative Chris Smith (NJ-4) recently announced.   Smith said the increased funding, which passed July 30 is “good news” for the estimated 800,000+ people in New Jersey who have contracted Lyme over the past 20 years. New Jersey has one of the highest amounts of Lyme cases in the nation. “My amendment adds $4 million, for a total of $20 million, for Lyme disease research at the CDC for FY 2021. Just three years ago CDC’s Lyme budget was only $11.7 million,” said Smith. “The increase in funding achieved through my amendment will help CDC develop better diagnostic tests for Lyme, expand tic...