Lyme disease has a serious impact on the military and their dependents. In the Feb. 2021 Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR), a report on vector-borne diseases in the military during the period 2016 – 2020, including all reportable medical events (RME) of active and reserve component service members who served any time during that period, stated, “Lyme disease accounted for 43.8% of all confirmed RME cases and was the most common of the vector-borne diseases reported….”

A Feb. 2021 Joint Force Quarterly publication written by a US Naval War College professor describes the high risks of Lyme to the military−some 75% of all US military installations are located in states where 99% of the ~500,000 TBD cases reported to CDC from 2004-2016 occurred. Additionally, veterans often retire to rural counties where Lyme incidence is higher.

This section contains articles on Lyme & TBD and service members  and dependents.