MA Counties Have Bad Lyme Disease Problem

There are more than 3,000 counties in America. And the county with the highest rate of Lyme disease is right here in Massachusetts.

Nantucket County residents had the most confirmed or probable cases of Lyme disease per capita between 2010-2015, according to numbers released by the Center for Disease Control and obtained by The Boston Globe.

Nearby Dukes County has the fifth-most cases per capita in the nation, and it doesn't end there. Plymouth (57th) and Barnstable (81st) counties are in the top 100.

The state had the third-most tick- and mosquito-related diseases in the country between 2004-16, according to recent CDC numbers. The country "is not fully prepared" for such an outbreak, the CDC said.

Massachusetts is already on high tick alert, with a 'tick explosion' being warned of recently.

Here is the county-by-county breakdown of the average annual per capita rate of confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases from 2010-15:

• Nantucket 501 (1st)
• Dukes 342 (5th)
• Plymouth 127 (57th)
• Barnstable 108 (81st)
• Franklin 89 (105th)
• Bristol 88 (109th)
• Berkshire 78 (126th)
• Norfolk 72.7 (139th)
• Hampshire 72.6 (141st)
• Worcester 58 (185th)
• Essex 53 (201st)
• Middlesex 49 (212th)
• Hampden 36 (269th)
• Suffolk 15 (364th)

Some tips on keeping ticks away include:

• Use EPA-approved tick repellents on your skin and clothes.
• Read and follow the directions.
• Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot a crawling tick.
• Check for ticks on yourself, your kids and your pets any time you've been outdoors.
• Some tick bites can make you sick, but finding and removing a tick promptly makes it less likely.
• Call your doctor if you start to feel ill or notice a rash near the bite.
• Play it safe when you're outdoors.

Image via shutterstock