Maine has witnessed a new high of Lyme disease with cases of infections recorded at 3,035 by December 3, 2024, as per government records beating the previous records of 2,943 cases in 2023. Lyme is symbolic of an overall increase in tick-borne diseases across the entire state, especially in the Midcoast and the Down East where the incidence has tripled within the last ten years.
Knowledge of the causes of high incidence rates of Lyme disease in Maine is essential in the management and future prevention of the disease.
The geography and climate of Maine strongly favor the proliferation of ticks. The state has vast areas of woodland, with a generally humid coastal climate that fosters deer populations and allows for the maintenance of tick habitats. Midcoast has been identified as an epicenter of abundance because of the favorable environmental conditions.
The increasing numbers of deer have been associated with the rising tick cases. Deer numbers are increasing as hunting pressure has lessened and habitat conditions changed, the same aspect applies to ticks. This ecological shift has facilitated greater interactions between humans and ticks.
People have become more informed about the disease for several years now. Maine residents who live in the southern part of the state have been aware for decades that they need to protect themselves from the ticks, whereas those, who live in areas where Lyme disease is spreading now, such as the Midcoast, may be less cautious or knowledgeable about the disease because this threat is relatively new to them.
Griffin Dill, integrated pest management specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s tick lab, told the Portland Press Herald:
“The midcoast has really become the epicenter of tick abundance. We’ve seen a shift in the focal point from Cumberland and York counties to the midcoast range, where we’ve seen a drastic increase in tick density and corresponding human infections. We’re seeing ticks move farther and farther Down East.”
Statistics of Lyme disease
Preliminary data for 2023 show Lyme disease accounts for a rate of about 212.4 cases per 100,000 people statewide. Notably, Midcoast counties like Knox and Lincoln have seen rates of over 600 cases per 100,000 population. Those numbers indicate a very significant rise; the Waldo County’s deaths were 125.5 per 100,000 in 2014 to 579 in 2024, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Overview of Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease resulting from Borrelia burgdorferi that spreads through the bite of an infected deer tick or Ixodes scapularis. Common signs are fever, headache, tiredness, and a skin change or rash known as erythema migrans.
As it stands, the disease can cause a host of health hazards if not treated and symptoms like joint pain or neurological issues may occur.
Lyme disease is a zoonotic disease transmitted through ticks first recognized in the 1970s in the USA and since then it has spread in most parts of the northeastern region. It was identified first in 1986 in Maine.
The initial presence was mostly a southern coastal prevalence, especially in York County. Through time, this disease has surged northwards and eastward to a significant presence in all the sixteen counties in Maine.
Record highs and surveillance
Researchers from the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pointed to recent years showing that the number of Lyme disease cases has been on the rise. For Midcoast counties, the data point to steep surges, whereas, for other southern parts like Cumberland, the infection rates are rising gradually.
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Public health efforts in response to the rising numbers of the disease have taken a major focus on education regarding the use of proper clothing when outdoors, performing tick checks after being outdoors, and ways to manage landscaping around the home to reduce habitats that may promote tick infestations.
The Maine CDC continues active surveillance of both tick population counts and disease incidence as a basis for public health strategy.
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