Project Lyme Harnesses the Power of Public Service Announcements to Inform Parents Their Child's Complex Illness Could Be Lyme

For Lyme Awareness Month, Project Lyme, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, unveils a new multi-platform campaign spotlighting patients' and families' experiences with misdiagnosis and eventual treatment. 

NEW YORK, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The CDC now estimates nearly half a million people will contract Lyme disease in the United States each year. However, most people do not realize how Lyme disease can cause diverse, devastating symptoms in some patients. The range of symptoms is expansive and often overwhelming, from flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, and joint pain in the early stages to more serious issues such as cognitive impairment, sleep problems, mood changes, shortness of breath or heart failure when a diagnosis is missed or delayed. Lyme has been reported in all 50 states, with case counts increasing throughout the country. As the risk of contracting a tick-borne infection increases nationally, it is imperative to educate a broader audience, especially parents of young children.

Children are at the greatest risk of contracting Lyme disease and delayed diagnosis can prevent them from living a normal life. Given that children may have a harder time conveying how and what they are feeling, it's important that parents learn the early signs of Lyme disease, how to test for infections, and learn more about treatment protocols in order to avoid long-term illness. Children with Lyme may present with neurological symptoms such as headaches, irritability, sensory sensitivity, depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.

In their new PSAs, Project Lyme tells the stories of Rylyn and Pippa, two young children who are recovering from Lyme disease. Both children experienced significant delays in diagnosis, leading to a tremendous toll on their health. The spots highlight how the parents fought tirelessly to find a proper diagnosis and how Rylyn and Pippa are finally getting well. 

Due to poor awareness and lack of accurate diagnostic testing, children are being deprived of childhoods and people's lives are collapsing under the pressure of chronic illness. Project Lyme's PSAs provide advice that if you are unsure of the source of your child's illness, it could be Lyme.

For inquiries about the campaign, contact press@projectlyme.org. For more information about the organization, its mission, or tick-borne disease, visit our website at https://projectlyme.org/our-impact/.

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SOURCE Project Lyme