Virginia ranks 10th in Lyme’s Disease cases

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, designated for spreading knowledge on preventing and identifying this tick-borne illness.

The Special Reports Team at Veterinarians.org has analyzed four years of data (2016-2019) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine what states across the nation typically see the most confirmed cases of Lyme Disease.

• Virginia has seen 3,549 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in people over the span of the studied four years.
• An infected tick can transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease to a pet or human with a single bite, provided the tick feeds for at least 24 hours on its host–one of the reasons why prevention and early detection are critical.

Since blacklegged ticks carry Lyme Disease and are one of the most common ticks found on dogs that can easily be carried into the home, Veterinarians.org has also shared additional information on prevention.

While Virginia reported over 3500 cases it is ranked 10^th among all states.  Pennsylvania ranks number one with 32,921 cases.