US Incurs Up to $1 Billion in Costs Annually From Lyme Disease: Study

Nearly half a million Lyme disease cases are diagnosed and treated annually in the country.

A blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, a carrier of Lyme disease. CDC via AP

Lyme disease results in costs of up to $1 billion per year in the United States, posing a “large financial burden” on the health care system and patients, according to a peer-reviewed study published Jan. 14 in the JAMA Network Open journal.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection commonly spread via the bite of infected ticks. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 89,470 Lyme disease cases were reported in the United States in 2023, the highest since 1996.