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quote:

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Approximately 14,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States each year; however, the actual number of cases may be 10-fold higher

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Posts: 1558 | From the Berkshires | Registered: Jul 2001  |  IP: Logged | 

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You're welcome

The 10-fold quote came from state studies that looked at actual cases versus reported ones. A good summary of many of those can be found at

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/155/12/1120

and

http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/infectious_diseases/pdf_forms_/vol26no4.pdf

The CDC is well aware that the reported statistics are low -- they often are in other diseases, also. Assuming that the habits of those who don't report and those that do remains the same, they can track the growth and spread of a disease, not the actual number, through this method.

From the Wisconsin report:

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This is not surprising because early stage Lyme disease is often discovered and managed in high-volume care settings, which may reduce the likelihood of reporting.

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Posts: 1558 | From the Berkshires | Registered: Jul 2001  |  IP: Logged |