PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 22, 2025
Lyme disease cases in Maine have surged this year, with the latest data showing 3,569 cases as of Oct. 14 — surpassing the record of 3,218 cases for all of 2024, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Maine is also seeing high levels of other tickborne diseases this year, with 1,255 anaplasmosis and 324 babesiosis cases through Oct. 14. The warming climate is contributing to the increase in tickborne diseases by expanding the deer tick’s range into colder areas of Maine and extending when they are active. The ongoing drought doesn’t appear to have harmed tick populations.