About 200 cases of Lyme disease are reported in Maine every year, but experts say it’s likely there are many more.
Lyme, a bacterial infection spread by tiny deer ticks, causes joint pain, aches, fatigue and numbness, among other symptoms. In its earliest stages, it often causes a red rash that looks like a bull’s-eye.
Because the disease is sometimes mistaken for the flu, multiple sclerosis or arthritis, experts say people are sometimes misdiagnosed. There are tests for Lyme, but they aren’t perfect. The state’s official count is likely off, officials say.
“We assume it’s an undercount,” said Andrew Pelletier, epidemiologist for the Maine Bureau of Health.
For the past two years, more than 70 percent of the cases have been in York and Cumberland counties, but the disease is becoming more prevalent along the coast and across the state. Cases have been reported in every county, including Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin.
This is the peak season for deer ticks, and experts say this year will likely be no different from years past.
They advise people to avoid tick-infested areas and stay in the center of hiking paths. Wear light-colored clothing so dark ticks can be easily spotted, and wear long-sleeve shirts, long pants and socks so the ticks won’t get on skin. Use insect repellent with DEET.
They also advise people to check their bodies for ticks, particularly behind their knees, under their arms and behind their ears.
Deer ticks can be the size of a pinhead or a freckle, so they’re easy to miss.
“The important thing is to recognize you have been bitten by a tick,” said Peter W. Rand, senior investigator at Maine Medical Center’s Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.
If removed within the first 36 to 48 hours, ticks cannot transmit Lyme disease. The Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory identifies ticks at no cost and can tell whether they’ve been on a body long enough to transmit the disease.
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