What is Lyme disease and what is causing the spike in reported cases?

April through October is considered peak lyme disease season, and Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all rank in top-ten of recorded Lyme disease infections.

However, caution is urged when looking at the numbers and concluding we're in the midst of a Lyme disease outbreak, as the increase is mostly driven by enhanced Lyme disease reporting methods.

But what is Lyme disease? Here's everything you need to know about Lyme disease and its prevalence in the Delaware Valley.

Lyme disease bulls eye rash

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes Lyme disease as a dangerous bacterial infection, and is particularly prevalent in the Delaware Valley.

"Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to people through the bite of blacklegged ticks," read the CDC's Lyme disease website. "Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper-Midwest regions of the United States."

One sign of potential Lyme disease is the classic bulls eye rash, a circular, expanding rash that looks like a target.

Lyme disease symptoms?

According to the CDC, early-stage Lyme disease symptoms include fatigue, fever, headaches, and a skin rash called erythema migrans.

"Untreated Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms, depending on the stage of infection," read the CDC's Lyme disease symptoms website. "These include fever, rash, facial paralysis, an irregular heartbeat, and arthritis."

late-stage Lyme disease symptoms include "facial palsy, heart palpitations and episodes of dizziness," according to the CDC.

Lyme disease in Delaware?

According to the Delaware Health and Social Services Department, there were 349 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2023.

While 2024 data wasn't readily accessible, Delaware's health and social services department issued a press release in May for Lyme disease Awareness Month, which stated that Delaware usually receives roughly 300 cases of Lyme disease per year.

Lyme disease in New Jersey?

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 7,225 Lyme disease cases in 2023, and has recorded 2,607 Lyme diseases cases so far for 2024.

Lyme disease in Pennsylvania?

Lyme disease is the most commonly-reported tick-borne disease in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

According to the health department's data, there were 11,164 lab cases of Lyme disease in 2023.

So far in 2024, the department of health is reporting 3,020 lab cases.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: What is causing the uptick in Lyme disease cases CDC