Tick-borne illnesses have increased 350% in rural America since 2007: Experts say more people are being infected than ever before after celebrities like Shania Twain and Yolanda Hadid became infected

Up to four times more Americans are catching Lyme disease than a decade-and-a-half ago, a study on insurance claims has suggested in another sign the illness is becoming more widespread.

Analysis by FAIR Health — owner of one of America’s largest claims databases — revealed a 357 percent surge in applications linked to the tick-borne illness from 2007 to 2021 across rural areas. But there was also an uptick in towns and cities, where it rose by 65 percent over the same period.

Experts warned more people were catching Lyme disease more than ever before across the United States. But the uptick may also be driven by surging awareness of the ‘invisible disease’, thanks to high-profile cases in celebrities including singer Shania Twain and socialite Yolanda Hadid.

People who said they had recovered from the disease today called on Americans to ‘take this seriously’, adding that it could leave them suffering symptoms for years

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