Lyme Disease or Summer Flu? Dr. Kaplan Explains the Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Dr. Gary Kaplan appeared on DC News Now with Chris Flanagan to discuss why this tick season will be a particularly difficult one.

Fever, chills, headaches, and feeling totally exhausted. Sounds like the summer flu, but it might actually be Lyme disease.

The tick-borne disease is on the rise across the DMV this summer.

“This is going to be a bad tick season and such a bad Lyme season. We had a relatively warm winter, and as such, the ticks are out en masse, so you have to be on the alert for them. You have to be careful about them, but we expect to see a fairly significant surge in Lyme Disease as a result,” said Dr. Gary Kaplan, founder and medical director of the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine in McLean, Va.

Kaplan said the reason we see such a high number of Lyme disease cases in the DMV is that we have tons of ticks in the area. Especially, the black-footed tick and the deer tick.

“We have lots of deer, we have lots of white-footed mice which carry and transmit this disease, and so the reality is, we are prime, and we are one of the hottest spots in the nation for development of Lyme disease,” he said.

If you are outside and don’t see a tick on you, there are red flags you should be aware of that it could potentially be Lyme disease.

“Certainly, if you develop a rash, you want to make sure that [it] is not Lyme disease, especially the bullseye rash. The classic clearing center in expanding redness outside of that, and the reality [is that]the rash can be a fairly benign-looking rash, but an isolated-looking rash, absolutely. The other thing is if you develop Bell’s palsy, that absolutely needs to be ruled out as Lyme disease because that is the most frequent cause of it,” Kaplan explained.
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Concerned About Lyme Disease? Don’t Wait.

If you’ve developed flu-like symptoms, a rash, unexplained fatigue, or facial weakness after spending time outdoors, early evaluation is essential. At the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Gary Kaplan and our experienced team provide comprehensive Lyme disease evaluations and personalized treatment plans designed to address both acute infection and lingering symptoms.

Schedule an appointment today to get the answers—and care—you need.