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PA Again Leads Country In Reported Lyme Disease Cases By Far

Victoria Arocho
/
AP

Pennsylvania again leads the nation in reported cases of Lyme disease according to tracking conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Preliminary data released by the CDC on Thursday shows there have been 12,092 cases of the tick-borne disease reported in Pennsylvania this year through Dec. 24.

That figure is triple the amount of New York, which registered the country's second-highest total with 4,002 infections in 2016. CDC officials say more than 30,000 cases are reported each year.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, chills, joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, headache and rashes. If left untreated, the infectious disease can lead to arthritis and other problems.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has cautioned that the 2016 figures haven't been finalized yet.

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