In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been rethinking how diseases emerge and are transmitted to humans, oftentimes overlooking or ignoring scientific proof to the contrary. Fueled by its relatively recent identification in the 1970s and rapid growth since then, it has become fashionable in conspiracy-minded circles to suggest that Lyme disease may be a man-made illness.

This ignores all scientific evidence as well as the historical record. Lyme disease actually is thousands of years old, and its spread across the United States is inextricably tied to the country’s settlement and migration patterns. It is not a recent phenomenon, nor was it human-created or lab-mutated.

How Did Lyme Disease Begin?

While the origins of Lyme disease are unknown, it has existed for centuries. In what would eventually become the United States, Indigenous people likely suffered from Lyme disease… as did the early colonial settlers.

Over time, the disease would decrease in frequency as forests were cleared for settlement. The bacteria-carrying ticks lost much of their habitat, and populations of deer (on which they fed) were decimated by hunting and habitat loss.

Lyme-carrying ticks were forced into smaller and smaller areas, but eventually the disease became more prevalent again as human habitation encroached on those remaining locations and human-tick encounters became more common. Exploding deer populations are also a factor in the reemergence and spread of Lyme disease.

When Did Lyme Disease Begin?

A recent study by the Yale School of Public Health determined that the bacteria that causes Lyme disease has been present for at least 60,000 years. The earliest known case of Lyme disease was found in a 5,300-year-old iceman mummy discovered in the Italian Alps, and the earliest description of what is now known as Lyme disease was in 1883 Germany.

Where Did Lyme Disease Get Its Name?

Lyme disease is named after a small town in the lower Connecticut River Valley where an unexplained disease cluster appeared in 1975. Adults and children in the area reported mysterious rashes, joint pain, and flu-like symptoms.

The Connecticut State Department of Health stepped in to investigate along with the Yale School of Medicine and, by the following year, Lyme disease was officially designated – along with the belief that ticks were the vector of transmission.

How Was Lyme Disease Treated in the Past?

Because Lyme disease was not formally recognized until well into the latter half of the 20th century, before then, treatment mainly consisted of symptom management… with varying degrees of success.

After Lyme was categorized in 1976, researchers were able to isolate the bacteria (borrelia burgdorferi) by 1981 and since then it has been treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment is generally successful for early-stage Lyme disease, but late-stage Lyme may not respond well to current protocols. So, the search for a cure continues.

Protect Your Family from Tick-Vectored Diseases

Lyme disease is only one of the tick-vectored diseases found on Long Island. East End Tick and Mosquito Control® is your tick removal and prevention expert, protecting East End residents for more than two decades. If you find ticks on or near your property, visit us online to schedule a free estimate, or call (631) 324-9700 in East Hampton, (631) 287-9700 in Southampton, or (631) 765-9700 in Southold.