Every year 300,000 new cases of Lyme Disease are reported in America. But health experts are now saying that 2017 may be the worst Lyme Disease outbreak ever.
This is due to an increase in acorns expected this year. The surge in acorns means the mouse populations will rise and so will the disease carrying ticks.
Lyme disease symptoms can be treated mostly with antibiotics, but severe symptoms can set in if there is a long period of time between when the bite occurs and the person has been diagnosed. Doctors are reporting more and more patients are being diagnosed with an advanced case of Lyme disease.
The most confirmed cases of Lime disease in the U.S. are Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Some early symptoms of early Lyme disease are flu-like illness with possible fever, chills, sweats, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea and joint pain. Some patients have a rash or Bell’s palsy.
Let’s hope 2017 does not go down in history as the worst outbreak of Lyme disease.
-Dianah Gibson