Spring is turning to summer and the ticks are ready to start biting.
As climate change shortens winters, warm-weather-loving ticks stay active for longer. Meanwhile, construction developments break up ecosystems, and the deer and mice that act as reservoirs for the Lyme-causing bacteria romp through suburbs unchecked.
Climate Change Will Aggravate the Spread of More Than 200 Infectious Diseases
The number of Lyme disease cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD) has more than doubled in the last 20 years. More than 475,000 people are diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease each year, according to CDC estimates. Once contained to small sections of the Northeast U.S. and Midwest, Lyme disease cases have skyrocketed in those regions, and tick-borne diseases are proliferating in Western states.