ABOUT 300,000 PEOPLE are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that multiply in the bodies of ticks, people, and animals, including mice, deer, and dogs. The largest percentage of human Lyme disease cases are concentrated in only 16 states situated throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Upper Midwest, but infections have been reported across the country and into Canada. Scientists predict that Lyme disease will continue to spread as climate change causes an increase in the humid summer conditions and mild fall weather favored by the tiny blacklegged deer tick, which is the most common transmitter of Lyme disease.

These deer ticks pick up Lyme bacteria () when they feed on the blood of infected mice, chipmunks, and other hosts. Infected ticks in both the nymphal and adult life stages can then transfer the Lyme bacteria to humans if they latch on for a meal and feed for approximately 36 hours or more. Lyme disease is highly treatable when it’s detected