Lyme disease estimates in the U.K. could be three times higher than previously thought

The prevalence of Lyme disease in the U.K. may be three times higher than previously thought, according to a new study. Scientists used medical notes, antibiotic prescriptions and diagnoses of the tick-borne disease made by general practitioners between 2001 and 2012 to estimate the number of Lyme cases. The incidence rate went from fewer than 2 cases per 100,000 people in 2001 to a dozen cases per 100,000 in 2012, for an estimate of roughly 955 in 2001 to more than 7,700 cases in 2012. Previous work estimated between 2,000-3,000 cases of the disease every year. Because the new work relied on an algorithm that pulled from specific medical sources, other indicators — such as a diagnosis made by a specialist versus a GP — could have been missed, possibly leading to a further underestimation of Lyme cases.