NPR

Lyme Disease Is On The Rise Again. Here's How To Prevent It

The tick-borne illness is spreading north and south — about 300,000 U.S. cases a year. As scientists work on better diagnostic tests and surveillance tools, you can take steps to cut your risk.
Black-legged ticks, also known as the deer ticks, can carry Lyme disease.

Lyme disease was once unheard of in western Pennsylvania, where , now an entomologist at the University of Maryland, spent time as a kid. Thorne knew that if black-legged ticks are infected with bacteria called , they can and, that if untreated, symptoms can range from fever, fatigue and a rash, to serious damage to the joints, heart and nervous system. But she didn't realize that ticks in that part of Pennsylvania had become broadly infected with the bacteria. That is, until

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Floods In Southern Brazil Kill At Least 75 People Over 7 Days
Massive floods in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state have killed at least 75 people over the last seven days, and another 103 were reported missing, local authorities said Sunday.
NPR2 min read
Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c
NPR2 min readWorld
Ukraine's Zelenskyy Calls God An "Ally" Against Russia In Orthodox Easter Message
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians in an Easter address to be united in prayer and called God an "ally" in the war with Russia.

Related Books & Audiobooks