On Friday, the Tuscarawas County Health Department released a map showing what counties have the highest prevalence of Lyme disease cases across the state and where cases have been confirmed this year.
The map shows cases have been reported in Summit, Geauga, Wayne, Holmes, Stark, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties this year in Northeast Ohio. Additional cases have been reported in Southeast and Southern Ohio.
How does Lyme disease spread?
According to the Ohio Department of Health, Lyme disease is spread more commonly through tick bites from immature ticks known as nymphs. Adult ticks can also spread the bacteria that causes the disease but due to their larger size, they are easier to spot and remove before spreading the disease.
Cases have been increasing in some areas.
"Lyme disease cases are increasing in Ohio as the range of blacklegged tick populations continues to expand in the state and encounters with this tick occur more frequently, particularly in the forest habitats preferred by this tick," the ODH said on its website.
Reports of Lyme disease used to be more uncommon in Ohio but have grown substantially over the past several years, with confirmed cases of Lyme disease going from about 67 cases in 2012 to 582 cases in 2021.
In Tuscarawas County, communicable disease nurse Chelsea Martin told News 5 in March their number of suspected, probable and confirmed Lyme disease cases doubled from 64 cases in 2020 to 125 cases in 2021 and that Tuscarawas County Public Health officials still believe that number is being under-reported.
Watch more in the player below:
There is treatment available for Lyme disease and anyone who feels ill after being bit by a tick should seek medical help.
Bit by a tick? Here are the symptoms to look out for
Symptoms of Lyme disease include various rashes, headaches, chills, muscle pain, joint pain and fatigue. A "bull's eye" rash called erythema migrans is a telltale symptom of Lyme disease, the ODH said. The rash looks like a red circle that slowly expands out from the site of the tick bite. However, a bull's eye rash only occurs in about 20% of cases, with 70% of other cases showing a rash of a different shape, according to theBay Area Lyme Foundation. Any symptoms following a tick bite should be brought to your doctor's attention.
To learn more about Lyme disease from the Ohio Department of Health, CLICK HERE.
RELATED: Ohio reports record number of Lyme disease cases in 2021, leaders issue warning for 2022
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
