Lyme disease is now in all 50 states: ‘Low risk’ Florida and California have become new hot spots for the tick-borne illness as rates soar nationwide
The chronic tick-borne illness has long been rampant across the North East
Historically New England and Pennsylvania accounted for 95% of cases – and the rate of cases there is going up
But a new report shows a 194% rise in cases in California, and a 77% rise in cases in Florida
By MIA DE GRAAF
DAILYMAIL.COM
6 August 2018
Lyme disease is now in all 50 states of America and the District of Columbia, a new study reveals.
The chronic tick-borne illness has long been rampant across the North East, which has historically accounted for 95 percent of cases.
But a new report by Quest Diagnostics, a New York-based database of clinical lab results, reveals Lyme is now prevalent across the United States.
In particular, new inroads are being made in California and Florida, where the risk was previously thought to be negligible.
Meanwhile, the typical Lyme disease hot spots are only getting riskier: New England and Pennsylvania have respectively seen increases of 50 percent and 78 percent in the last two years.
Lyme disease has become more prevalent in the US in recent years, according to the report. Since 2010, the rate of positive tests for Lyme are up 11.2 percent. Numbers remained steady between 2010 and 2014, before shooting up dramatically in just three years.
Florida and California, which are not historically associated with Lyme disease, drove that spike.
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