Lithuania Leads Lyme Disease Outbreak in the Baltic Region

While Lyme borreliosis (LB) is Europe's most common tick-borne disease, the northeastern region has reported the most cases.

According to recent research, among all LB surveillance systems in Europe and considering any case definition for the most recently available years, national LB incidences were highest in Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Switzerland (>100 cases/100,000 PPY), followed by France, Poland, Finland, and Latvia.

Local media reported that the Baltic region's Republic of Lithuania recorded 15,254 cases of Lyme disease last year, a 500% increase from 2022.

On April 11, 2025, LRT reported that this increase is more likely to be tied to changes in reporting methods and diagnostic practices than to an increase in infected ticks.

"Since last year, we've been receiving disease registration data directly from an electronic system.... not just from health care providers."

Furthermore, previous LB infection does not confer immunity, which means a person can be reinfected multiple times.

Unlike tick-borne encephalitis, no vaccine for Lyme disease is currently available in the United States, where most cases are reported in the northeastern states, such as Pennsylvania. 

However, an innovative Lyme disease vaccine candidate is conducting clinical research in 2025.