Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are on the rise in the U.S. as populations of these insects grow due to increasing heat and humidity levels.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and spread by the bite of a blacklegged tick, which usually has to be attached to a person for at least 24 hours to lead to an infection.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Lyme disease case counts in 2022 were 1.7 times higher than the annual average from 2017-2019.

What's more, where cases of Lyme disease can occur is growing too, per CDC data . Cases are still most common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest — in fact, about 15 states in these regions drive 95% of cases, per the Environmental Protection Agency . But

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