New York City reports rise in Lyme disease over the past decade
New York City reports rise in Lyme disease over the past decade
Lyme disease is the most reported tick-borne disease (TBD) among New Yorkers, followed by anaplasmosis and babesiosis, which are all transmitted by the blacklegged tick.
Cases of TBDs have been trending upward. In 2023, NYC preliminarily reported 3,323 cases of Lyme Disease. This compares to 2013 when 762 cases (see graph below).
Changes in the national Lyme disease case definition implemented in 2022 led to a substantial, though expected, increase in cases, which persisted in 2023.
In addition to Lyme disease, 116 cases of babesiosis, 77 cases of anaplasmosis, 7 cases of ehrlichiosis and 5 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) were reported in NYC last year.
Recent travel to tick endemic areas (such as upstate New York, Long Island, other parts of the northeast, the mid-Atlantic region, and the upper Midwest) or residency in Staten Island should prompt consideration of TBDs in people with a compatible clinical presentation.
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Health officials say Manhattan and Brooklyn have the highest number of TBD reports, with most people reporting a history of travel outside NYC during the exposure period. Tick species that are vectors for TBD pathogens are uncommon in NYC with the exception of Staten Island and focal areas of the northern Bronx. Local transmission of TBDs is reported in Staten Island but is rare in the Bronx likely due to the limited presence of ticks.
In addition, there is the rare and emerging TBDs:
Powassan virus has been detected in a small number of blacklegged ticks in Staten Island and the Bronx. There has been only one reported case of Powassan virus disease in a NYC resident; the individual was infected while in the Hudson Valley in 2018.
Borrelia miyamotoi has been detected in blacklegged ticks from Staten Island and the Bronx. There are commercially available tests for B. miyamotoi. The disease is not reportable, though the number of human infections is believed to be low.
Rickettsia parkeri has been detected in Gulf Coast ticks in Staten Island; however, there have been no reports of R. parkeri rickettsiosis among NYC residents.
Heartland and Bourbon viruses have been detected in lone star ticks collected in parts of New York State but have not been detected among ticks collected in NYC or among NYC residents.
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to meat and other mammalian products, associated with the bite of a lone star tick. AGS is reportable by laboratories to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Health Department) as of November 2023.