A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows an astronomical rise in Lyme Disease in the United States.

“Over time, the number of counties identified as having high incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern states increased more than 320 percent,” researchers write in the report.

The researchers also noted that the disease has now appeared in states where cases had never previously been recorded by the CDC.

The study also shows that there are now twice the number of counties in the United States where contraction of Lyme Disease is twice the national average.  Most of those counties are in the New England states and in Wisconsin.  The entire state of Connecticut is considered high risk for the disease.

More than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC each year.  The disease is the most common tick-borne illness.  However, the CDC says that number of cases could be significantly higher than the amount reported, up to ten times the number or 300,000 infected people.

“This new preliminary estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States, and clearly highlights the urgent need for prevention,” says Dr. Paul Mead, chief of epidemiology and surveillance for CDC’s Lyme disease program, based in Ft Collins, Colo.

Up to 20 percent of patients who contract Lyme disease have long term symptoms according to the CDC.