Number of U.S. Lyme disease cases much higher than expected
“A tremendous public health problem”
Approximately 300,000 are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, according to a newly released estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The estimate is based on medical claim, a survey of clinical laboratories and a survey of the general public.
The new figure suggests that the total number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease is roughly 10 times higher than the yearly reported number, making it the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States.