BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 12, 2022
As the numbers and range of deer ticks expand in Maine, cases of Lyme disease in the state have been on the rise. The most recent data show 1,118 cases diagnosed in the state in 2020. People recently bitten by ticks can receive prompt diagnoses and antibiotics to cure them of the disease, but the growing awareness has left many Mainers wondering if their symptoms could be from long-ago infections, even though chronic Lyme is not a recognized medical condition and there’s debate over how to treat it. “Chronic Lyme disease” is a non-medical term for people suffering from Lyme-like symptoms with no clinical evidence of infection.