Map Shows Connecticut a "High Risk" for Lyme Disease

The study, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, details where Lyme disease seems to be spreading and highlights the alarming rate at which ticks are infected with the bacteria that causes it. According to the study, about 1 in 5 ticks collected between 2004 and 2007 were infected with the Lyme disease causing bacteria.

Researchers feel that "given the frequent under- and over-diagnoses of Lyme disease, this map could act as a tool to guide surveillance, control, and prevention efforts and act as a baseline for studies tracking the spread of infection."

The map details the high-risk, low-risk and emerging-risk areas for the disease. Not surprisingly, it shows an elevated risk of Lyme disease across much of the Northeast.

Currently, there are more than 38,000 cases of Lyme disease reported annually in the United States. The highest concentration of the cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are in 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. In Connecticut alone, 78 people out of every 100,000 now get Lyme disease. 

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Signs of infection from a tick bite include a rash, flu-like symptoms and fatigue. If diagnosed early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. If the disease is left untreated, it can lead to meningitis, heart, joint, neurological and other serious problems.

Lyme disease was named after Lyme, Connecticut.

To read the full study in the February issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, click here.