Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are skyrocketing — here’s how to know if you have Lyme disease

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Lyme disease is a nasty bacterial infection spread by black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks. Untreated, it can cause severe neurological damage and joint problems. Rates of diseases spread by ticks are rising rapidly in the US. More than 80% of reported tick-disease cases are infections with Lyme disease. There are probably 300,000 Lyme disease cases every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but most don’t get reported.

Diseases spread by bites from ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas are on the rise: cases tripled between 2004 and 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Officials believe Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections are becoming more common because the ticks that carry them are spreading to new areas due to warmer weather, which also makes tick season last longer each year, according to the CDC. See the rest of the story at Business Insider