Health Beat

Worried about COVID-19? Perhaps you also need to add Lyme disease to those worries. The folks at the Lyme Action Network in the Capital Region contend that Lyme disease is also a pandemic and that this year is sadly a banner year for that tick-borne disease. The warm winter and now hot summer is allowing the deer ticks to flourish. What you might not realize is, because Lyme triggers an inflammatory response in the body, the early symptoms could be confused with COVID-19, i.e., flu-like symptoms. But with COVID-19, there’ll be upper-respiratory involvement. Not so with Lyme, however, you may experience migratory joint pain. The key, explains Jenn Goldstock, NP, a board member of the Lyme Action Network, is to get treatment early and make sure the treatment is at least three weeks in length. The most important thing we can all do is take precautions against a tick bite. That means wearing long sleeves, tucking pant legs into socks, and using bug repellent appropriately when you’re spending time in areas where ticks live, like tall brush. And if you play golf, remember, that ball you hit deep into the woods isn’t worth a tick bite. Always check yourself after you’ve been out in woodsy or brushy areas to see if a tick has hopped a ride. Remove it with tweezers. Check your pets as well. And remember, not everyone develops that bull’s-eye or solid red rash. For more info on Lyme disease, check out my Health Beat report at wnyt.com.