The prevalence of Lyme disease is increasing in the United States, spiking significantly between 2016 and 2017, and has spread to all 50 United States and the District of Columbia, according to a new study recently released by Quest Diagnostics.
Based on more than six million de-identified laboratory test results conducted over the past seven years, the Quest Diagnostics study also found that outside of the northeastern U.S. which is historically associated with Lyme disease, California and Florida saw the largest absolute increases in positive test results. California found 483 infected patients in 2017, a 194.5 percent increase over 2015 levels. Florida found 501 infected patients in 2017, a 77 percent increase over 2015 levels.
“Lyme disease is a bigger risk to more people in the United States than ever before,” said Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., senior medical director for Quest Diagnostics and head of the company’s Health Trends research program. “Our data show that positive results for Lyme are both increasing in number and occurring in geographic areas not historically associated with the disease. We hypothesize that these significant rates of increase may reinforce other research suggesting changing climate conditions that allow ticks to live longer and in more regions may factor into disease risk.”
The Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ report on Lyme disease is the latest in a series of reports from Quest providing insights derived from the company’s 44 billion de-identified laboratory test results, the largest database of clinical lab results in the world. These reports are intended to provide actionable insights that can improve health outcomes for conditions affecting a large number of Americans. Additional findings of the Quest Diagnostics Health Trends report on Lyme disease include:
- Lyme disease remains most prevalent in the Northeastern United States Combined, Pennsylvania and the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) accounted for 60.6 percent of the total number of positive Lyme disease test results found in the United States in 2017.
- Pennsylvania tops the nation in Lyme disease cases. With 10,001 cases in 2017, Pennsylvania saw the most positive Lyme disease test results of any state in the nation, and nearly as many found in all New England states combined (11,549).
- Notable increases also observed in other states between 2015 and 2017 including Georgia, Arizona, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Lyme disease: Climate change and public policy
Spread by tick bites from infected blacklegged and deer ticks, Lyme disease is an infection by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that causes more than 300,000 illnesses each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease and the sixth most commonly reported notifiable infectious disease.
Common signs of potential Lyme exposure include the tell-tale “bullseye” shaped mark that frequently forms on the skin at a tick-bite location, or a presence of flu-like and/or other symptoms associated with Lyme or tick-borne infections.
Having finally been correctly diagnosed in Nov 2018, many months after a false Lyme test, I secured antibiotics but long-term consequences seem to remain. I reported to FL that however I contracted the bite in NY during the summer, my situation probably like many who vacation elsewhere but return to home state w symptoms that the doctors fail to understand….until reaching a truly debilitated condition. Look to where you’ve been! Don’t stop searching for answers. I did not have a bullseye nor flu-like symptoms. I had to go to many, many doctors. And, thank goodness for Igenex in Palo Alto for their immense testing capabilities that finally identified why I was suffering. I am indebted.
Yes, although Lyme is reported through the U.S., the light distribution outside of New England and the Midwest must certainly be attributed to travellers to the Lyme high-risk regions, such as yourself. New York is squarely within the high-risk region, as shown on this map from the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/images/maps/2015-dot-map.jpg
I live in California where nobody is infected locally, even though we have deer and ticks. They’re the wrong kind of ticks to transmit Lyme. All of our infections are picked up elsewhere. However, we do have so-called “Lyme-literate doctors” who falsely diagnose Lyme in people who have not travelled to a high-risk region. The CDC map only includes confirmed cases of Lyme, not bogus cases diagnosed by these quack doctors.
You haven’t looked at the requirements to be considered lyme by the cdc!
There are so many that are not included in the CDC’s reports and they themselves admit it!
If you think the disease isn’t there then keep watching…
Sad when people think like thisnots when its allowed to spread so ferociously!
Mark Thorson, you are completely wrong about California. Your statement that “nobody is infected locally” is laughable! I grew up in California, and though I have lived all over the world, I have a jar full of Northern California ticks that have indeed proven to carry not only Lyme but Babesiosis. My dog died of anaplasmosis (he does not travel) diagnosed by our very well informed vet, using the snap test which can detect a number of tick borne diseases, and I have years worth of positive testes for Lyme and Babesiosis due to an 8 year delayed diagnosis, in spite of bulls eye rash and classic symptoms. You are spreading false information and will be responsible for severely impacting people who believe what you have written. A new study, based upon insurance code submitted by doctors have California and Florida as the most increased in tick borne illness. Not surprising if you actually know what is happening in California. The LLMDs you denigrate are saving lives that average doctors will not bother to treat because it is just too frustrating, but I, and many others denied treatment initially by uninformed doctors am proof that proper treatment can restore at least a decent percentage of our formerly excellent health. The Sonoma County Health Department test ticks only for Lyme, but iGenix Lab in Palo Alto has a new test that actually tests for the less common strains of lyme that previously could not be identified by the older tests. Please restrict yourself to facts, not fantasy on your postings.
Mark is misinformed. Lyme infected ticks have been found in every county in California, particularly the SF bay area. Lyme reported cases are growing exponentially in our state. Which is why my case manager at Anthem asked me to be an advocate. CDC under-reports. Statistics based on insurance claims are more accurate. Lyme is only one problem, there are up to 18 co-infections you can get from this nasty critter. During the 3 months prior to getting a bulls eye rash, I had not been camping or hiking or gone out of state. A friend was at a wedding in Northern California and got bit by a mosquito, and got the bulls eye rash. No other known critter creates this rash. “Quack doctors” reminds me that many doctors working with AIDS patients at the beginning of that crisis had to contend with name calling also.
I think we need to bring back DDT, it will also eradicate malaria in the majority world.
This is so ignorant and stupid. I have Lyme Disease – CDC positive from CA!
The weakness in this report & Quest diagnostics data is it does not indicate which people tested had acquired the disease from outside their home state. When the public sees this, they presume Lyme disease ticks exist in all states, which according to entomologists & physicians, they do not. Colorado cases are rare & we suspect brought from travelers coming home from elsewhere