NewsDesk @bactiman63

Health officials in Ohio saw a record number of Lyme disease cases reported in 2021 with 582, more than double the 10-year-average.

Reports of Lyme disease used to be an uncommon occurrence in Ohio.  In the early 1990s, the Health Department reported one to two dozen cases in Ohio residents.

Since 2014, Ohio has reported greater than 100 cases with the most seen in 2019 (468), 2020 (409) and the 582 cases last year.

The state has seen 2,615 cases in the past decade.

From the beginning of the year to March 7, Ohio has reported 29 Lyme disease cases with the most in the eastern part of the state.

In Ohio, cases of Lyme disease are reported in every month of the year.  However, the number of reported cases is lowest in the winter, gradually rises in the spring, peaks in the summer, then declines through late summer and autumn.