Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center To Open In Westchester

VALHALLA, NY — The unofficial start of summer is Memorial day and summer means Lyme disease season is at its peak. Westchester's New York Medical College has announced the opening of its Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center in Hawthorne.

The center will open June 3 and will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Aug. 29.

It's located at 19 Bradhurst Ave in Hawthorne.

Established in 1989 and headed by Gary P. Wormser, M.D., professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and pharmacology, and vice chairman of medicine and research and development at NYMC, the Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center is staffed by experienced infectious diseases physicians and nurses with special expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of people with tick bites, early/acute Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis (Ehrlichiosis), Babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi infections and Powassan virus infections.

Wormser said the Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the country and, if not treated properly, can lead to arthritis and other serious complications.

"Preventive measures, such as wearing long pants when walking through wooded areas, spraying exposed skin with insect repellent containing DEET and thoroughly checking oneself, children and pets for ticks, are always your best lines of defense against infection," he said.

"But, if you do get a tick bite, it is important to safely remove it with tweezers, save the tick and seek medical attention," Wormser said.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected deer tick. Infected ticks are found throughout the lower Hudson Valley of New York. If left untreated, the disease can cause a number of health problems. Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stage of the infection usually recover rapidly and completely. The early symptoms of Lyme disease may be mild and easily missed.

Early symptoms of Lyme disease may include:

• an expanding circular rash at least 2 inches in size — that may or may not look like a bull’s eye — that usually occurs at the site of the tick bite
• headache
• fever/chills
• stiff neck
• pain in joints or muscles
• paralysis of facial muscles
• palpitations
• multiple rashes

If you experience any of these symptoms or would like to learn more about the Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center, please visit www.nymc.edu/LDDC or call 914-493-TICK. The Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center is open to patients 18 years of age and older who are either acutely ill or who have recently been bitten by a tick. Most insurances are accepted. Children under the age of 18 may be evaluated by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division of New York Medical College by calling 914-493-8333.

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