Lyme, COVID, EEE ganging up this summer
Big year for ticks predicted
The ongoing threat of coronavirus coupled with the risk of EEE and Lyme disease that often increases in the summer months will create “the perfect storm” for illness as people spend more time outside due to the pandemic.
“We are not just in a COVID pandemic but we are also in a Lyme disease endemic,” said Eva Sapi, director of the Lyme disease program at the University of New Haven.
Sapi said Lyme disease could be worse than normal this summer because of the mild winter we experienced in New England: “That’s usually a bad sign of Lyme disease because those ticks didn’t freeze.”
Many symptoms of Lyme disease such as fever, cough and weakness overlap with coronavirus, Sapi said, adding that if anyone experiences such symptoms they should be tested not only for coronavirus, but for Lyme disease as well.
Recent lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic could also impact the risk of Lyme disease and other insect-borne illnesses.
“Because of COVID quarantine right now, we are not spending time in a mall, we are not traveling, we are around the house gardening and going on hikes so that is the perfect storm to get more cases for Lyme disease,” said Sapi.
There are about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but only a fraction of illnesses are reported, meaning case counts could actually be up to 300,000.
The symptoms of Eastern Equine Encephalitis also overlap with coronavirus and often show up most severely in children, said Dr. Jeannie Kenkare, chief medical officer of PhysicianOne Urgent Care.
“I do think we are going to see (EEE) this summer as the mosquito populations increase,” Kenkare said.
EEE presents in three-year cycles and Massachusetts will be in the second year of the cycle this summer. Last year’s outbreak included 12 cases and 6 deaths, according to the Department of Public Health.
Patients who are infected by the bite of a mosquito could experience fever, fatigue, chills and body aches, which can progress to neurologic symptoms such as confusion or behavior changes.
The overlap of the illnesses will keep health care workers on their toes.
“We have to think about all of these things when we treat our patients and not just focus on the thing that’s getting the most attention these days which is COVID,” Kenkare said.
Massachusetts State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said, “We are anticipating that we will see EEE activity this year although it is not possible to predict with an accuracy how extensive that activity will be.”
Brown said prevention tools such as wearing mosquito repellent, wearing long clothes and avoiding the outdoors at dawn and dusk can help residents.
Routine mosquito testing began in the state on June 15 and will continue through October, according to DPH.
Sapi said to help prevent getting Lyme disease, washing one’s clothes and showering after being outdoors in a wooded area is always a good safeguard.