Lyme Disease Surges by 320% in America moving out of the North-eastern region to the South and the West

The cases of Lyme disease in the north-eastern regions of the Americas have increased by more than 320 percent, according to reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lyme disease is caused by deer ticks. Symptoms include headache, skin rash, fatigue, and high fever.  If left untreated, this infection can spread to the nervous system, the joints, and ultimately, the heart.

There are instances when Lyme disease gets fatal. Ticks are usually found in tick forests. But because of forest clearing and warmer temperature due to climate change, ticks are spreading to other areas preying on humans.

New Jersey is considered the capital of Lyme disease in the US.

According to reports, Lyme disease is spreading from the Northeast to southern and western regions. A county-by-county monitor on the infections found that it is four times more prevalent in counties today compared to its numbers back in 1993.

Experts claim that climate change plays a big role in spreading the disease. High-risk counties include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, Iowa, Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan, and 6 others.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in America with 30,000 cases reported every year. There are reports, however, claiming that it is more common than what has been reported. It may even reach as many as 300,000 cases.

From 130 counties, cases of Lyme disease have spread to 260 in just 10 years. "The risk is expanding in all directions," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Kiersten Kugeler.

University of California Irvine's Dr. Alan Barbour, who authored a book on Lyme disease, confirmed that climate change has something to do with the overall spread of the disease.

Most of the areas where Lyme has spread became more bushy and forested as the farm areas have gone out of operation. Some parts of the Southwest saw a decreasing rate of Lyme cases. However, this may mean that another type of tick-borne disease might be plaguing this region.