Health Headlines - 7-15-20

In today's health headlines we talk about Lyme Disease and how some symptoms can be similar to COVID-19.

We talk about the differences.

A million people have quit smoking because of the COVID-19 pandemic based on a new study.

HEALTH EXPERTS ARE BRACING FOR APOSSIBLE INCREASE IN LYMEDISEASE CASES...IN PART... BECAUSE PEOPLE ARESPENDING MORE TIME OUTSIDE...DUE TO THECORONAVIRUS.THE ILLNESS HAS ALREADY BEENREPORTED IN ALL 50 STATES... ANDAS SARAHDALLOF TELLS US... EXPERTS AREWORRIED THAT SOME DIAGNOSES MAYBE MISSED... BECAUSE THESYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TOCOVID-19.TICK PREVENTION IS PARAMOUNT INSARAH WILSON'S HOME.SIX YEARS AGO SHE WAS DIAGNOSEDWITH LYME DISEASE.SARAH WILSON, DIAGNOSED WITHLYME DISEASE"IT'S BEEN PRETTY DEBILITATING."HER SYMPTOMS INCLUDED FEVER...AND BODY ACHE.HAD THEY DEVELOPED THISSUMMER...14-16SARAH WILSON, DIAGNOSED WITHLYME DISEASE"I WOULD HAVE ASSUMED I HADCOVID AND I WOULD HAVE BEENREALLY, REALLY SCARED."HEALTH EXPERTS WORRY NOT ONLYWILL CASES OF LYME DISEASEINCREASE AS MORE AMERICANS HEADOUTSIDE TO HIKE, CAMP ANDRECREATE..

BUT ALSO THAT SOMEDIAGNOSES MAY BE MISSED.AS SOME SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 ANDLYME DISEASE OVERLAP.28SHANNON DELANEY, LYME ANDTICK-BORNE DISEASES RESEARCHCENTER AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY"IT CAN BE LOW-GRADE FEVER, WECAN SEE MALAISE, FATIGUE, MUSCLEACHES AND HEADACHES IN BOTHDISEASES."DR. SHANNON DELANEY, WITH THELYME AND TICK BOURNE DISEASESRESEARCH CENTER ATCOLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SAYS BOTHILLNESSES SHOULD BE ON DOCTORSRADAR THIS TICK SEASON.KEY DIFFERENCES ARE RESPIRATORYSYMPTOMS- THOSE ARE ASSOCIATEDWITH CORONAVIRUS... AND ABULLSEYE RASH WITH LYME DISEASE.ALTHOUGH NOT ALL PATIENTS WILLDEVELOP ONE.AND A DELAYED DIAGNOSIS CAN LEADTO MORE SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS.SHANNON DELANEY, LYME ANDTICK-BORNE DISEASES RESEARCHCENTER AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY"WITH LYME DISEASE, IT'SCRUCIALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVEEARLY TREATMENT."THE C-D-C ESTIMATES 300-THOSUANDAMERICANS CONTRACT LYME DISEASEANNUALLY.AND ADVISES PEOPLE TO TAKEPRECAUTIONS.USE AN APPROVED INSECTREPELLENT.WEAR LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING...LONG SLEEVES AND PANTS ARE BEST.CHECK YOURSELF FOR TICKS... ANDTAKE A SHOWER AS SOON AS YOU GETHOME.CENTER AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY"THESE ARE VERY CRUCIALSTRATEGIES IN TICK PREVENTION."PROTECTING AGAINST LYMEDISEASE... WHILE PROTECTINGAGAINST COVID-19.A POSITIVE SIDE OF THECORONAVIRUS NOW.ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE IN THEU-K HAVE QUIT SMOKING BECAUSE OFIT.ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY...41 PERCENT OF PEOPLE WHO QUIT...SAID THEY DID IT IN RESPONSE TOTHE PANDEMIC.YOUNGER PEOPLE WERE ABOUT TWICEAS LIKELY TO GIVE UP SMOKINGTHAN OLDERSMOKERS.THE RESULTS ARE BASED ON AREPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF ABOUTTENTHOUSAND PEOPLE.THOSE FIGURES WERE THEN USED TOESTIMATE THE TOTAL NUMBER OFPEOPLE WHO Q