Why are more people getting Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can range from fatigue, joint pain and a circular shaped rash to facial paralysis and heart arrythmia.

According to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) global health review, Lyme disease has likely infected about one in 10 people across the globe.

Recently, pop star Justin Timberlake went public about contracting the condition.

If treated quickly, most people will recover but there are still issues around diagnosing and treating Lyme disease.

And globally, cases are on the rise. In this edition of The Inquiry, Charmaine Cozier explores what's behind the increase and hears about new tests and vaccines currently being developed.

Contributors:

Dr Sally Mavin, clinical scientist and Director of the Scottish Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Infections Reference Laboratory, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland

Dr Armin Alaedini, Chief Scientific Officer, Global Lyme Alliance

Dr Gábor Földvári, research group leader, Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Evolution, Budapest, Hungary

Dr Alessandra Luchini, Professor, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, USA

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Producers: Jill Collins and Emma Forde

Researcher: Maeve Schaffer

Technical producer: Richard Hannaford

Production Coordinator: Tammy Snow

Editor: Tara McDermott

(Photo: Tweezers removing a forest tick from human body. Credit: rbkomar/Getty Images)