Last Updated: January 2020

Author: Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program, Vermont Department of Health

The Infectious Disease Epidemiology program at the Health Department is responsible for conducting Lyme disease surveillance in Vermont. These surveillance efforts are used to measure the incidence of disease in the state, identify important changes in disease activity, and provide an evidence base for the Department’s Lyme disease education and outreach activities.

Epidemiologists investigate reports of Lyme disease by contacting health care providers to gather information on the patient’s illness. After a minimum of three contact attempts without a response from the provider, these investigations are closed and not counted towards surveillance numbers.

The percentage of Lyme disease investigations that contain the necessary information from health care providers has decreased from 2017 to 2018, indicating that collecting information from busy health care providers or their staff continues to be a challenge in the face of increasing reports of Lyme disease.

• Health care providers
• Clinical and commercial laboratories

The health care community in Vermont recognizes the importance of Lyme disease surveillance and frequently provides the information necessary to complete disease investigations. To maintain a high percentage of completed Lyme disease investigations, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program staff work diligently to follow-up with providers who do not respond to initial investigation inquiries.

The Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program will continue to make additional attempts to reach health care providers who do not respond to initial Lyme disease inquiries. We will also continue our efforts to raise awareness about Lyme disease in the health care community so that providers understand the importance of public health surveillance.