Lyme Disease Infections Have More Than Tripled in Rural America Since 2007: Health Insurance Analysts

A tick whose bite can transmit Lyme disease is seen at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research in Maison-Alfort, France, on July 20, 2016. Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images

The spread of Lyme disease has increased dramatically over the past 15 years with the illness more than tripling in rural areas, according to the nonprofit FAIR Health’s recent analysis of health insurance claims.

Lyme disease, caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected blacklegged ticks, often called “deer ticks.”