Lyme Disease in MA

Lyme cases in Mass. go up 50% in one year
By Felicia Mello, Globe Correspondent
June 15, 2007

The number of Lyme disease cases reported in Massachusetts jumped by about 50 percent from 2004 to 2005, a single-year increase that prompted concerned state health officials to say they were stepping up efforts to educate the public about prevention of the disease.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported yesterday that 2,336 cases were reported in the state in 2005, compared with 1,532 the previous year. Nationwide, the number of cases rose to 23,305 from 19,804 in the same period, an 18 percent increase.

update and caveat: The exerpts below are from a CNN story on Lyme cases nationwide in the US. I don't recommend the story for a source of accurate information on symptoms or treatment since it is in fact misleading in those areas. But the information about the infection rates is important. Knowing that this disease is becoming so common is crucial if you or someone you know starts having symptoms that suggest Lyme. Medical providers are still a little behind the ball on the prevalence of the disease and therefore they tend to underassess the risks any particular individual has of having caught it. Decent info on Lyme symptoms and treatment can be found at the CDC site on Lyme and the Mayo Clinic's Lyme info pages.

CDC: Lyme disease cases double in U.S.
June 14, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The number of cases of Lyme disease has doubled in the United States since 1991 and these numbers are probably underestimated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

More than 21,000 cases of the tick-borne disease are now reported every year, the CDC said, making it the most common illness transmitted by bugs or animals in the United States.

The northeastern states had the most cases, with 2,335 cases reported in Massachusetts in 2005, 3,363 in New Jersey, 5,565 in New York, and 4,287 in Pennsylvania.