An aedes aegypti mosquito is shown on human skin in a file photo, date and location not known, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Arkansas Health Department officials said Monday, Aug. 5, 2002, they have detected the first known case of the mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus infecting a person in Arkansas. (AP Photo/USDA, File)

Lyme disease, coronavirus, EEE to create ‘perfect storm’ this summer

All three illnesses share common symptoms, experts say

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.

Continue reading Alexi Cohan's article here.