5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  A new Lyme disease reporting strategy has been developed by state representatives and the CDC to improve surveillance.

• 2

  The new system requires only a positive blood test for reporting cases in 15 high-prevalence states.

• 3

  Massachusetts reported 5,052 Lyme disease cases in 2022, a significant increase from an average of 144 cases per year from 2017 to 2019.

• 4

  The CDC reported a 69% increase in Lyme disease cases in 2022, with 62,551 cases compared to the average of 37,118 from 2017 to 2019.

• 5

  Experts noted that the new system may reveal a higher number of Lyme disease cases than previously reported.