BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 22, 2021
Lyme disease costs the U.S. more than $3 billion annually. Approximately a half-million new cases are added in the U.S. every year. Much is still unknown about this potentially debilitating illness. But one thing is certain: Ticks are the culprit. In just the past 20 years, seven new tick-borne diseases have been discovered in the U.S. Many more are likely to be identified. And therein lies the problem: Tick research has long been underfunded worldwide. The U.S. spends just $63 per estimated Lyme disease case annually in terms of research dollars.