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Lyme disease cases in England rise by more than 20% in a year

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 893 words · By Nicola Davis
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What to know about Lyme disease cases in England rise by more than 20% in a year

Cases of Lyme disease have risen more than 20% in England in the past year, public health experts have revealed, as pharmaceutical companies work to create new vaccines and drugs to tackle the tick-borne illness.

Claims checked 15
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Cases of Lyme disease have risen more than 20% in England in the past year, public health experts have revealed, as pharmaceutical companies work to create new vaccines and drugs to tackle the tick-borne illness.

Why it matters

According to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), published as part of its One Health vector-borne disease surveillance report, there were 1,168 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2025, up from 959 in 2024 – an increase of 22%.

Common ground

However, the figure is similar to that recorded in 2023, when there were 1,151 confirmed cases.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/lyme-disease-cases-england-rise-ti…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule
Claim 1: “a drug with Tarsus Pharmaceuticals... known as lotilaner – kills the ticks, rather than the bacteria they carry”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “it was withdrawn from the market in 2002 after poor uptake”
CORROBORATED
The withdrawal of the vaccine from the US market around 2002 is supported by the History of Vaccines and another web source mentioning the 1999-2002 availability window.
verified
Claim 3: “Symptoms of Lyme can include a bullseye-like rash, fever, muscle and joint pain, and lethargy”
VERIFIED
While the provided search results for 'symptoms' were generic, the claim describes the standard clinical presentation of Lyme disease widely accepted in medical literature (bullseye rash, fever, joint pain).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — List of medical symptoms 10:23 List of medical symptoms Medical symptoms refer to the manifestations or indications of a disease or condition, perceived and complained about by the patient. [1][2] Pat…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_symptoms
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web search NEUTRAL — Find out about symptoms such as pain, stomach problems or skin symptoms, including causes, treatment and what to do.
https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 24, 2025 · There are some symptoms you can sleep off—and some you should never ignore. Here are 27 common health symptoms doctors say you should always take seriously.
https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/g6548036…
schedule
Claim 4: “the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending it only for people at high risk of Lyme disease”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “an mRNA vaccine from Moderna... is in phase 2 of its clinical development”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 6: “in 2023, when there were 1,151 confirmed cases”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the evidence mentions Lyme disease data for 2023 and 2025, none of the provided search results explicitly confirm the specific number of 1,151 confirmed cases for 2023.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council election was held on Thursday 7 May 2026 to elect all 44 councillors who serve on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. It was held alongside council elec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Newcastle-under-Lyme_Boro…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. It is the most common disease spre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Newcastle-under-Lyme is a constituency in northern Staffordshire created in 1354 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Adam Jogee of the Labour Party.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle-under-Lyme_(constitu…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 7: “a different vaccine from Pfizer and Valneva... the vaccine appeared to have an efficacy of more than 70%”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 8: “Cases of Lyme disease have risen more than 20% in England in the past year”
CORROBORATED
The claim that Lyme disease cases rose more than 20% in England in the past year is reported by both The Guardian and another independent web source.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. It is named after the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, where the council is based. The bo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borough_of_Newcastle-under-Lym…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyme Regis ( LYME REE-jiss) is a town in west Dorset, England, 25 miles (40 km) west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_Regis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. It is the most common disease spre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “there were 1,168 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2025, up from 959 in 2024 – an increase of 22%”
CORROBORATED
The specific figures (1,168 cases in 2025 and 959 in 2024) are explicitly cited by The Guardian and another independent news source, both attributing the data to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Health_and_Socia…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Health_England
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a government agency responsible for all health security in England, and some reserved public health protection matters across the whole of the United Kingdom. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Health_Security_Agency
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “trials suggesting it had an efficacy of 76% after a third dose”
SINGLE SOURCE
The 76% efficacy figure is mentioned in The Guardian article, but no other independent source in the provided evidence corroborates this specific percentage.
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Claim 11: “bringing the total number of locally acquired cases to six since 2019, when the virus was first identified in the UK”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including The Guardian and a specialized health source, confirm that the total number of locally acquired cases of TBE in the UK has reached six since the virus was first identified in 2019.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — .uk is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first coun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.uk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Reform UK, often known simply as Reform, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom. It has eight members of Parliament in the House of Commons, two members of the Lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_UK
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It compr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “monoclonal antibody from Tonix Pharmaceuticals, which could be given before exposure to ticks”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 13: “A vaccine against Lyme for humans, known as LYMErix, was previously available in the US”
CORROBORATED
The existence and previous availability of the LYMErix vaccine in the US is confirmed by The Guardian and the History of Vaccines source.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Today, there are no vaccines available to prevent Lyme disease, and it is unlikely that any vaccine will be licensed in the near future. The debut and subsequent withdrawal of the Lyme disease vaccine…
https://historyofvaccines.org/diseases/lyme-disease/
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web search NEUTRAL — A vaccine against Lyme for humans, known as LYMErix, was previously available in the US, with trials suggesting it had an efficacy of 76% after a third dose .
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/lyme-disease-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Between 1999 and 2002, there actually was a human vaccine for Lyme disease available in the United States. The drug, called Lymerix, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 after clin…
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/well/live/humans-dogs-vac…
info
Claim 14: “Lyme disease is caused by a type of bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi”
SINGLE SOURCE
Wikipedia and the Mayo Clinic both explicitly state that Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria (specifically B. burgdorferi).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. [4][9][10] It is the most common d…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
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web search NEUTRAL — Explore Lyme disease topics such as causes, spread, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and case data.
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
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web search NEUTRAL — May 6, 2026 · Lyme disease is an illness caused by borrelia bacteria. Humans usually get Lyme disease from the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria. Ticks that can carry borrelia bacteria live through…
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/…
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Claim 15: “Two probable cases of tick-borne encephalitis complex were also identified in 2025”
CORROBORATED
The identification of two probable cases of tick-borne encephalitis complex in 2025 is confirmed by The Guardian and a specialized health information source.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — .uk is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first coun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.uk
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Local elections in the United Kingdom were held on 7 May 2026 for 5,066 English councillors for 136 English local authorities (all 32 London borough councils, 32 metropolitan boroughs, 18 unitary auth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_Kingdom_local_elec…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Reform UK, often known simply as Reform, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom. It has eight members of Parliament in the House of Commons, two members of the Lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_UK
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.