Lyme disease in Poland in 2018.

Abstract

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease, caused by spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes genus. According to ECDC, Poland should be considered as an endemic area. The risk of Lyme disease incidence in-creases with tick habitats increase, which is a response to environmental factors and climate change. The aim of the study is to assess the epidemiological situation of Lyme disease in Poland in 2018 compared to the situation in previous years. The epidemiological situation of Lyme disease in Poland was assessed on the basis of the data sent to NIPH-NIH by voivodeship sanitary-epidemiological stations and published in the bulletin 'Infectious diseases and poisoning in Poland in 2018' . In 2018; 20,150 Lyme disease cases was registered, 2,124 people were hospitalized. You can also see an increase in cases in the second and third quarter in favor of the fourth quarter. The epidemiological situation in Western European countries is similar to the situation in Poland. The inability to determine the clear trend of the epidemiological situation in Poland indicates the sensitivity of the surveillance system, but also the difficulty in new cases diagnosis. You can also see a decrease in the number of cases, which may be a sign of having the right tools or experience in the Lyme disease diagnosis.