Lyme disease now in 100 percent of the U.S. - Entrepreneur Generations

Lyme disease has now officially spread to the entire United States: "Now, 100 percent of the country — all 50 states plus the District — has residents who have tested positive for Lyme, a bacterial infection that can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including joint aches, fatigue, facial palsy and neck stiffness," Linda Searing reports for The Washington Post.

The news comes from clinic laboratory Quest Diagnostics, which analyzed the results of 6 million diagnostic blood tests doctors had ordered. Pennsylvania had the most positive cases last year at 10,001 and, combined with the six states of New England, accounted for about 60 percent of all cases, Searing reports.

Between 2016 and 2017, positive results spiked in states traditionally linked to the disease — by 50 percent in New England and 50 percent in Pennsylvania — but also in states that aren't. "Florida, for instance, had 501 infections, up 77 percent since 2015. California had 483 people with positive test results — a 194.5 percent increase from 2015," Searing reports.

A May report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that diseases spread by ticks and mosquitos tripled in the U.S. between 2004 and 2016, aided by warm winters that keep pests alive longer.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2MskyOx Lyme disease now in 100 percent of the U.S. - Entrepreneur Generations

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