Abstract
With the incidence of Lyme and other tickborne diseases on the rise in the US and globally, there is a critical need for data-driven tools that communicate the magnitude of this problem and help guide public health responses. We present the Johns Hopkins Lyme and Tickborne Disease Dashboard (https://www.hopkinslymetracker.org/), a new tool that harnesses the power of geography to raise awareness and fuel research and scientific collaboration. The dashboard is unique in applying a geographic lens to tickborne diseases, aiming not only to become a global tracker of tickborne diseases but also to contextualize their complicated geography with a comprehensive set of maps and spatial data sets representing a One Health approach. We share our experience designing and implementing the dashboard, describe the main features, and discuss current limitations and future directions.
Highlights
Lyme disease is a vectorborne disease transmitted through the bite of infected Ixodes ticks which are commonly found throughout temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia
A One Health approach recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are inherently linked and advocates for multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration to achieve a broad range of prevention and control activities, whether they are directed at public and institutional awareness, surveillance, or management and protection of wildlife and natural resources
In the US, publicly available tickborne disease data are limited to reports published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and individual states
Summary
Lyme disease is a vectorborne disease transmitted through the bite of infected Ixodes ticks which are commonly found throughout temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Since Borrelia burgdorferi was recognized as the etiological agent of Lyme disease 40 years ago, the number of reported cases and their geographic distribution have increased. Due to changes in climate, land use patterns, and the distribution of reservoir hosts, Ixodes tick populations have increased and expanded to new geographic areas [1, 2]. The global burden of Lyme disease is difficult to estimate, it is thought to be underrepresented by human disease surveillance data routinely collected by governmental organizations. Lyme disease is the most reported vectorborne disease in the US, with approximately 35,000 cases reported through passive surveillance each year. Underreporting, especially at a rate of more than 90 percent, is a concern because effective public health responses
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