MINNEAPOLIS -- Lyme disease is on the rise in Minnesota, health officials say.
Nearly 7,500 confirmed cases of Lyme have been reported in Minnesota over the past 20 years -- and nearly 3,000 of those were in the past three years alone.
Nationally, the reported cases of Lyme disease have more than doubled since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials say that likely reflects both an increase in the disease as well as better reporting.
In Minnesota the number of cases reported since 1991 has increased tenfold, from 80 to 914. Officials say the actual number of cases in the state could be two to 10 times higher.
The number of Lyme cases likely will increase, fears Dave Neitzel, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, because the tiny deer ticks that spread the disease continue to expand their range north and west, and more people are moving to tick country.
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The highest-risk part of the state is east-central Minnesota, Neitzel said -- "and that's also the part of the state that's used heavily for outdoor recreation."
"People are not only spending their summers there, they are moving there to live. That's going to mean more people exposed to ticks," he said.
Health officials don't want to discourage people from enjoying the outdoors.
But health officials -- and people who have gotten Lyme disease -- say Minnesotans need to be aware of the disease, its symptoms and how to protect themselves.
Symptoms include a distinctive rash, fever, chills, headache, fatigue and muscle and joint pain.
