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What is lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a tickborne illness caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria carried by infected deer ticks.1

Also called the 'black-legged tick'

How do you contract lyme disease?

Lyme Disease is spread through the bite of infected ticks.1

In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours before the bacterium can be transmitted.1

Most of us are infected through the bites of immature ticks, called nymphs, because they are extremely small and difficult to discover.1

Relative sizes of blacklegged ticks at different life stages

nymph

adult male

adult female

size of a poppy seed

size of a sesame seed

How Prevalent is Lyme Disease in Maine?

Incidences across Maine by year

Select a year below to change the heat map and see which Maine counties have had the highest incidences of Lyme Disease between 2008 and 2018

Incidences per 100,000

Incidences across Maine by year

Select a year below to change the heat map and see which Maine counties have had the highest incidences of Lyme Disease between 2008 and 2018

Incidences across Maine by county

Select a county in the map and see how many incidences of Lyme Disease have affected that county each year between 2008 and 2018

Select a county below and see how many incidences of Lyme Disease have affected that county each year between 2008 and 2018

ALL OF MAINE

RESET GRAPH

Incidences per 100,000

Maine seniors 65+ have had the highest recorded rates of Lyme Disease since 2016.2

Maine residents between the ages of 15-24 have been the least likely to contract Lyme Disease since 2012.2

RATES OF LYME DISEASE IN MAINE BY AGE
RATES OF LYME DISEASE IN MAINE BY SEX

Males in the state of Maine have been consistently more likely to contract Lyme Disease since 2002, with a staggering 65% higher rate of contraction over females in 2017.2

More than half of Lyme disease cases are acquired during the months of June, July, and August.3

What are the symptoms of lyme disease?

Click through the dropdown to view a partial list of possible Lyme Disease symptoms. For a full list, please visit the Lyme Disease Association’s website.4

HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM LYME DISEASE?

Use a repellent on your clothes and skin that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535.5

Perform daily tick checks on yourself and your children. Hover over each dot below to see where you should take special care to check thoroughly.

Perform daily tick checks on yourself and your children. Click each dot below to see where you should take special care to check thoroughly.

How do you safely remove a tick?

Remove attached ticks quickly and correctly using the following instructions:

Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.6

Pull upward with a steady and even amount of pressure.6

After the tick has been removed, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands using warm soap and water.6

Dispose of a live tick by submerging it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, or flushing it down the toilet.6

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor immediately.

Lyme disease is a serious and prevalent disease in the state of Maine. Please take care to thoroughly check yourself and your loved ones for ticks after spending time outside, particularly during the summer months.

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  1. “Transmission.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Mar. 2015, Available here.
  2. United States, Congress, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “Lyme Disease Data.” Lyme Disease Data, Maine Tracking Network. Available here.
  3. “2016 Lyme Disease Data Published.” 2016 Lyme Disease Data Published | Maine Tracking Network - Environmental Public Health, Available here.
  4. “LDALyme Literacy.” Lyme Disease Association | Lyme Treatment Guidelines | Dr. Referrals | Funding & Research, Patricia Smith, 10 Feb. 2017, Available here.
  5. “CDC Features.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 May 2017, Available here.
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 June 2015, Available here.

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