For Immediate Release: Friday, July 7, 2017
Lyme disease, Zika virus and ‘dry drowning’
prevention to be featured topics
on Council Radio America show
At 2:30 p.m. TODAY, Friday, July 7, on WACA 1540 AM,
‘En Sintonía con el Concejo del Conado de Montgomery’
focus will be on preventing summer tragedies
ROCKVILLE, Md., July 7, 2017—Summer has arrived and with it comes unique health concerns, and some of those—such as Lyme disease, Zika virus and “dry drowning”—will be the featured topics at 2:30 p.m. TODAY, Friday, July 7, on En Sintonía con el Concejo del Condado de Montgomery (Tuned In with the Montgomery County Council). Guests on the Montgomery County Council’s weekly show on Radio America (WACA 1540 AM) will include Gabriel Albornoz, director of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation; John McDonald, the County’s senior pool manager; and Ligia Peralta, an adolescent medicine specialist and pediatrician.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year. The relatively mild winter of the past year is leading to expectations that there will be an increase in the number of reported Lyme disease cases this summer. The CDC also estimates that there are about 30 to 40 new Zika cases in pregnant women each week in the U.S.
From 2005 to 2014, the CDC reports there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States—about 10 deaths per day. An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents. About 20 percent of drowning victims are 14 or under.
According to the International Surf Lifesaving Association, “there are no medically accepted conditions known as near-drowning, dry drowning and secondary drowning.” However, there are conditions where an individual intakes an abnormal amount of water while swimming, which can lead to a condition generally referred to as “dry drowning.”
This rare condition, which deprives the brain of oxygen, may not show symptoms until hours, or even days, after a child has left the water. Today’s show will address what precautions should be taken if a young child may have taken in an excess amount of water—even if they seem without immediate symptoms
The Montgomery County Council and Radio America have entered into a partnership that provides the Latino community with key information on issues and programs. The partnership also provides a forum for residents to express views and ask questions. The partnership includes the weekly one- hour show each Friday on the Washington metropolitan area’s most popular Spanish language station. Lilian Mass is the show’s host.
Each week, the show features guests talking about important issues before the Council and provides information about programs offered by the County to help residents.
In addition to the radio broadcast, the show can be heard via the Internet at: http://tunein.com/radio/Radio-America-1540-s6029/ .
Video links with a summary of the show are available each week at the County Council's newly-redesigned, mobile friendly web site at: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council .