Lyme disease--United States, 1999

Lyme disease (LD) is caused by the tickborne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and is the most common vectorborne disease in the United States. Surveillance for LD was initiated by CDC in 1982, and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists designated it a nationally notifiable disease in January 1991. This report summarizes the number of LD cases reported to CDC during 1999. Although the number of cases decreased from 1998, the number of cases in 1999 was higher than the number reported during the early 1990s. LD can be prevented by avoiding tick-infested habitats, by using personal protective measures, by vaccination, by checking for and removing ticks attached to the body and clothes, and by reducing tick populations.