Impact of prior and projected climate change on US Lyme disease incidence

INTRODUCTION. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease, caused by spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes genus. According to ECDC, Poland should be considered as an endemic area. The risk of Lyme disease incidence in-creases with tick habitats increase, which is a response to environmental factors and climate change. AIM OF THE STUDY. The aim of the study is to assess the epidemiological situation of Lyme disease in Poland in 2018 compared to the situation in previous years. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The epidemiological situation of Lyme disease in Poland was assessed on the basis of the data sent to NIPH-NIH by voivodeship sanitary-epidemiological stations and published in the bulletin ‘Infectious diseases and poisoning in Poland in 2018’ . RESULTS. In 2018; 20,150 Lyme disease cases was registered, 2,124 people were hospitalized. You can also see an increase in cases in the second and third quarter in favor of the fourth quarter. The epidemiological situation in Western European countries is similar to the situation in Poland. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION. The inability to determine the clear trend of the epidemiological situation in Poland indicates the sensitivity of the surveillance system, but also the difficulty in new cases diagnosis. You can also see a decrease in the number of cases, which may be a sign of having the right tools or experience in the Lyme disease diagnosis.

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Impact of prior and projected climate change on US Lyme disease incidence

10.1101/2020.01.31.929380 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa I. Couper ◽

Andrew J. MacDonald ◽

Erin A. Mordecai

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Climate Change ◽

Lyme Disease ◽

Disease Burden ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

The United States ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Climate Variation ◽

County Level ◽

The Impact

AbstractLyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in temperate zones and a growing public health threat in the United States (US). The life cycles of the tick vectors and spirochete pathogen are highly sensitive to climate, but determining the impact of climate change on Lyme disease burden has been challenging due to the complex ecology of the disease and the presence of multiple, interacting drivers of transmission. Here we incorporated 18 years of annual, county-level Lyme disease case data in a panel data statistical model to investigate prior effects of climate variation on disease incidence while controlling for other putative drivers. We then used these climate-disease relationships to project Lyme disease cases using CMIP5 global climate models and two potential climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). We find that interannual variation in Lyme disease incidence is associated with climate variation in all US regions encompassing the range of the primary vector species. In all regions, the climate predictors explained less of the variation in Lyme disease incidence than unobserved county-level heterogeneity, but the strongest climate-disease association detected was between warming annual temperatures and increasing incidence in the Northeast. Lyme disease projections indicate that cases in the Northeast will increase significantly by 2050 (23,619 ± 21,607 additional cases), but only under RCP8.5, and with large uncertainty around this projected increase. Significant case changes are not projected for any other region under either climate scenario. The results demonstrate a regionally variable and nuanced relationship between climate change and Lyme disease, indicating possible nonlinear responses of vector ticks and transmission dynamics to projected climate change. Moreover, our results highlight the need for improved preparedness and public health interventions in endemic regions to minimize the impact of further climate change-induced increases in Lyme disease burden.

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Das LYDI-Sentinel (Lyme Disease Incidence) in den Jahren 2013 bis 2016

10.1055/s-0038-1639264 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

S Heinzinger ◽

A Sing ◽

V Fingerle

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Disease Incidence

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Public perceptions of Lyme disease and climate change in southern Manitoba, Canada: making a case for strategic decoupling of climate and health messages

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10614-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Laura Cameron ◽

Rhéa Rocque ◽

Kailey Penner ◽

Ian Mauro

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Climate Change ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Lyme Disease ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Public Discourse ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

Health Messages ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Climate And Health

Abstract Background Despite scientific evidence that climate change has profound and far reaching implications for public health, translating this knowledge in a manner that supports citizen engagement, applied decision-making, and behavioural change can be challenging. This is especially true for complex vector-borne zoonotic diseases such as Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease which is increasing in range and impact across Canada and internationally in large part due to climate change. This exploratory research aims to better understand public risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease in order to increase engagement and motivate behavioural change. Methods A focus group study involving 61 participants was conducted in three communities in the Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba in 2019. Focus groups were segmented by urban, rural, and urban-rural geographies, and between participants with high and low levels of self-reported concern regarding climate change. Results Findings indicate a broad range of knowledge and risk perceptions on both climate change and Lyme disease, which seem to reflect the controversy and complexity of both issues in the larger public discourse. Participants in high climate concern groups were found to have greater climate change knowledge, higher perception of risk, and less skepticism than those in low concern groups. Participants outside of the urban centre were found to have more familiarity with ticks, Lyme disease, and preventative behaviours, identifying differential sources of resilience and vulnerability. Risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease were found to vary independently rather than correlate, meaning that high climate change risk perception did not necessarily indicate high Lyme disease risk perception and vice versa. Conclusions This research contributes to the growing literature framing climate change as a public health issue, and suggests that in certain cases climate and health messages might be framed in a way that strategically decouples the issue when addressing climate skeptical audiences. A model showing the potential relationship between Lyme disease and climate change perceptions is proposed, and implications for engagement on climate change health impacts are discussed.

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Changing Trends in Age and Sex Distributions of Lyme Disease—United States, 1992-2016

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/00333549211026777 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003335492110267

Author(s):

Kiersten J. Kugeler ◽

Paul S. Mead ◽

Amy M. Schwartz ◽

Alison F. Hinckley

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Lyme Disease ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Age Distribution ◽

Relative Size ◽

The United States ◽

Male Predominance ◽

Age Related ◽

Over Time ◽

Age And Sex

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and is characterized by a bimodal age distribution and male predominance. We examined trends in reported cases during a 25-year period to describe changes in the populations most affected by Lyme disease in the United States. We examined demographic characteristics of people with confirmed cases of Lyme disease reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 1992-2016 through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. We grouped cases into 5-year periods (1992-1996, 1997-2001, 2002-2006, 2007-2011, 2012-2016). We calculated the average annual incidence by age and sex and used incidence rate ratios (IRRs) to describe changes in Lyme disease incidence by age and sex over time. We converted patient age at time of illness into patient birth year to ascertain disease patterns according to birth cohorts. The incidence of Lyme disease in the United States doubled from 1992-1996 to 2012-2016 (IRR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.70-1.78) and increased disproportionately among males; IRRs were 39%-89% higher among males than among females for most age groups. During the study period, children aged 5-9 years were most frequently and consistently affected. In contrast, the average age of adults with Lyme disease increased over time; of all adults, people born during 1950-1964 were the most affected by Lyme disease. Our findings suggest that age-related behaviors and susceptibilities may drive infections among children, and the shifting peak among adults likely reflects a probability proportional to the relative size of the baby boom population. These findings can inform targeted and efficient public health education and intervention efforts.

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Analysis of Weather Effects on Variability in Lyme Disease Incidence in the Northeastern United States

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1023/a:1025367020459 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 28 (1-4) ◽

pp. 249-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susan Subak

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Lyme Disease ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Northeastern United States ◽

Weather Effects

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Effects of Climate Change On Human and Social Livelihood Assets of Rural Farm Families in Orlu Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

Passive Remote Study of the Aerosol in the Upper Atmosphere of the Earth ◽

10.47363/jeesr/2021(3)151 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Chikaire JU ◽

◽

Ajaero JO ◽

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Crop Damage ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Farm Families ◽

Rural People ◽

Imo State ◽

Rural Farmers ◽

Livelihood Assets

The study investigated the effect of climate change on human and social livelihood assets of rural farm families in Orlu agricultural zone of Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to ascertain rural farmers’ awareness of climate change, and identify sources of information on climate change and to describe the effect of climate change on the human and social livelihood assets of the rural farmers. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting a sample size of 120 farm families. Data were collected with structured questionnaire and mean, percentage were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the major evidence of climate change include increased temperature, unpredictable rainfall pattern, drought, flooding, increased precipitation, crop damage and among others. Climate change affects the livelihood of rural people and can be seen in the effects it has on their human and social capita assets in the following ways - loss of human lives, food shortage, hunger and malnutrition, increased disease incidence, reduction in household. Other effects includes prevention of assistance from members of social groups to farmers and rural people at large, interruption of familiar social linkages of the poor, widows, disruption of linkages to formal and informal community organization.

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