There has been a dramatic increase of areas with cases of Lyme disease, a new study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed Wednesday.
Many of these cases are from the northeast and the upper-Midwest states; however, several counties in these states are now being classified as high-risk, particularly Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota, according to NBC News.
Since the last decade, Lyme disease infection has ballooned to 320 percent, and experts are alarmed. "Over time, the number of counties identified as having high incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern states increased more than 320 percent: from 43 (1993-1997) to 90 (1998-2002) to 130 (2003-2007) to 182 (2008-2012)," said CDC's Kiersten Kugeler. The CDC's report was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Disease.
The experts also identified Pennsylvania as the new hotbed for the infection, but the CDC warns that the scope is still expanding.
The researchers, however, are not sure what is causing this increase, but explained that, "It likely has something to do with development and other changes that cause the deer and ticks that carry the bacteria to move," Kugeler said, according to Yahoo.
"I think everyone agrees that climate change has something to do with it (the overall spread)," said Alan Barbour from the University of California Irvine, who wrote a book on Lyme disease.
Caused by bites of infected ticks, Lyme disease may first show as a rash, followed by fatigue, headache and fever. Recovery is possible with the help of antibiotics, but care and treatment should be immediately given to the person infected as it can lead to serious problems, including death.
Currently there is no vaccine to reduce the risk of infection, but the CDC said using inset repellent with DEET and checking for ticks while outdoors are just some of the preventive measures.
