There’s been a notable increase in the number of Mainers being infected with Lyme disease. According to the Maine Centers for Disease Control, there were more than 900 confirmed and probable cases of the tick-borne illness in humans last year – that’s an increase of 72 percent.
And that comes on the back of a 57% increase in 2007. The disease is most common in southern and coastal Maine, but it is gradually moving up the state. Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected deer tick, also known as black-legged tick. The disease often causes symptoms such as joint pain and fatigue.