At Least 1 in 7 People Worldwide Have Had Lyme Disease
Tick-borne Lyme disease is becoming more common, and a study suggests that more than 1 in 7 people worldwide are currently infected or have previously had this illness.For the study, researchers examined data pooled from 89 previously published studies of Lyme disease prevalence that, combined, included more than 158,000 participants worldwide. These studies looked at data from blood tests to see how often people got infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Blood tests show antibodies to Bb infection when people currently have Lyme disease or have had it in the past.Overall, 14.5 percent of the global population currently has Lyme disease or has been previously infected, the analysis of data from 2001 to 2021 found. The worldwide prevalence of Lyme disease was also significantly higher…