In a press release on August 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that there are around 300,000 Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, which is 10 times higher than the rate of Lyme disease cases reported to the CDC.  This new estimate is based on findings from three ongoing CDC studies that aim to estimate the true number of Lyme disease cases.  These studies confirm findings from studies in the 1990s that indicated that the actual number of Lyme disease cases in the U.S. was between three and twelve times higher than the number of cases reported to the CDC.

The preliminary findings were reported by the CDC at the 13th International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases.  The conference website reports that the event is dedicated to exploring clinical, epidemiological, and pathogenetic studies related to tick-borne diseases.  Though Lyme disease remains a focus of the conferences, discussions include other human diseases carried and transmitted by ticks.  The conference agenda also included discussions related to the early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other presentations from CDC employees and researchers.

Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have been the source of recent public attention.  With other deadly tick-borne cases appearing in the U.S., particularly in the state of New York, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer supported a bill to increase education, reports an earlier National Monitor article.  The bill, called the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act expands research to help medical professionals improve diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.  Given the CDC’s findings about the true extent of the Lyme disease problem in the U.S., there may be greater urgency to pass this bill and others like it.

According to CBS News, Lyme disease is named after Lyme, Connecticut, which is where the illness was first identified.  That first confirmed case was in 1975.  Ninety-six percent of Lyme disease cases reported in the U.S. came from 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Symptoms are primarily flu-like, with a fever, headache, and fatigue.  The most telltale sign of Lyme disease is a rash that appears to have a bull’s eye that is centered on the tick bite.  In order to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, people should take precautions to avoid being bitten and find and remove ticks quickly.  Such actions can prevent the transmission of Lyme disease.