With Lyme disease season emerging and the COVID-19 pandemic still with us, an important webinar designed to help physicians differentiate between the two (as well as the flu) so as to provide timely diagnosis and treatment for their patients will be held on Wednesday, May 5. The webinar is the latest in an ongoing series sponsored by Quidel, the California-based diagnostic health care manufacturer known for successfully developing rapid diagnostic health solutions.

Titled "Solve the Great Imitators: Is it COVID-19, Tick-Borne Disease or the Flu?," the webinar will be conducted by Sean McCloy,* M.D., M.P.H., M.A., national thought leader and medical director at the Integrative Health Center of Maine in Portland where he practices family medicine with an expertise in Lyme disease. The free educational program, being held in collaboration with the Global Lyme Alliance, will take place at noon EDT. Registration is available at Quidel x GLA Lyme Webinar Registration.

“Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed because its symptoms often mimic other conditions like the flu and many others. As we enter peak tick season, it is important to remind health care providers and others about the importance of screening their patients for Lyme disease,” says Sara Tyghter, director of education and outreach at Global Lyme Alliance.

“The trio of acute COVID-19 infection, tick-borne disease and influenza infection all have very similar presentations and share the common symptoms of fever/chills, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches,” says Dr. McCloy. “That makes it both challenging and critical for health care professionals to properly distinguish one from the other so that they can correctly treat their patients for the corresponding ailment. During the webinar, we’ll discuss the often subtle differences in how these illnesses affect patients and will review diagnostic options that will help physicians make point-of-care decisions so that their patients can get timely treatment and feel better quickly.”

As the weather heats up during spring and summer, McCloy says that it is particularly important to test for Lyme disease, which afflicts as many as 400,000 Americans each year and can lead to a number of serious life-threatening problems if not caught early. “Fortunately, new tools are now available to make it easier to test for Lyme disease quickly and accurately,” he says. “The best tool I have found and one which has revolutionized the speed and accuracy for diagnosing Lyme disease is the Sofia® 2 Lyme FIA test by Quidel.”

The Sofia 2 Lyme test provides the patient and physician with indicative results within 15 minutes, as opposed to days, which has historically been the norm. Performed in the privacy of a doctor’s office or local clinic, it is also the only test that can get results from a simple finger prick of blood. “Not having to wait days for test results allows clinicians to more rapidly treat those patients with positive results while more quickly pursuing other diagnosis and treatment for those who test negative,” says McCloy.

Among those expected to attend the free May 5 webinar are physicians; allied health professionals; health researchers; and representatives of physician offices, laboratories, urgent care centers and others interested in the subject.

*Dr. McCloy receives an honorarium for conducting the webinar sponsored by Quidel.

About Quidel Corporation

Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, delivering a continuum of rapid testing technologies that further improve the quality of health care throughout the globe. An innovator for over 40 years in the medical device industry, Quidel pioneered the first FDA-cleared point-of-care test for influenza in 1999 and was the first to market a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the U.S. Under trusted brand names, Sofia®, Solana®, Lyra®, Triage® and QuickVue®, Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19. With products made in America, Quidel’s mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210427005457/en/