May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. To help Mainers prepare for tick season and prevent the spread of tickborne diseases, the MaineTracking Network has released updated tickborne disease data through the year 2022. In Maine, 2,652 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2022, an increase of 1,142 cases from 2021. See these data at the town, county, and state levels, for the years 2001-2022.
Using the interactive data displays, users can see that adults ages 65 and older have the highest rates of all three tickborne diseases, followed by adults ages 45-64. While the number of anaplasmosis and babesiosis cases are lower than Lyme disease, cases for all three diseases have been increasing since 2010. Explore data on tickborne diseases in Maine.
What to Look For
Some of these tickborne disease symptoms can look like COVID-19 or the flu. If you experience any of these symptoms, talk to a health care provider and be sure to mention a recent tick bite or time spent in tick habitat.
- Anaplasmosis: include fever, headache, malaise, and body aches.
- Babesiosis: include fever, chills, sweating, dark urine, and possibly anemia.
- Lyme disease: include fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, and fatigue. Half of all people with Lyme disease have an expanding “bulls-eye” rash (erythema migrans).
Protect yourself from tickborne diseases. Wear protective clothing outside, conduct daily tick checks, and apply EPA-approved repellent.