The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) today (the 7th) announced the country's first confirmed case of imported Lyme disease in 2026, involving a woman in her 60s from the north, a Taiwanese citizen. The case had been residing in Sweden since May 2024, and reported engaging in activities in the forest near her home and being bitten by insects. On March 10 of this year, she sought medical care at a local hospital due to red itchy skin symptoms, was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and received antibiotic treatment. After entering Taiwan on March 17, she experienced hematuria and persistent skin symptoms, and visited the hospital on March 18 and March 25, where the hospital reported and tested samples confirming Lyme disease infection. Based on the incubation period, activity history, and exposure history, the infection site was assessed to be Sweden, and she has now returned home to rest.
According to CDC statistics, since Taiwan classified Lyme disease as a Category 4 statutory infectious disease in 2007, a total of 21 confirmed cases have been recorded to date (ranging from 0 to 3 cases per year), all of which are imported cases. The majority of infections occurred in the United States (13 cases), with the remainder from Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and other European countries. Globally, the epidemic has been on the rise in recent years with a clear expansion of geographic distribution. In the United States, the number of cases in 2023 was at least 89,000, and there is a geographic spread from the northeastern region to the southern region. Europe reports an average of about 132,000 cases per year, mainly distributed in Northern, Eastern, and parts of Western Europe; in Germany, case numbers increased markedly in some regions in 2025, and Sweden reports about 10,000 cases annually. In Asia, South Korea and Japan each recorded a recent peak in 2023, with cumulative totals of approximately 39 and 18 cases respectively in 2025.
The CDC explains that Lyme disease is a zoonotic infectious disease transmitted by bites from infected ticks (commonly known as deer ticks) and is not spread from person to person. It primarily affects mammals, including humans, rodents, dogs, cats, cattle, horses, and deer. The incubation period of Lyme disease is 3 to 30 days (average about 7 days), and 70% to 80% of infected individuals develop a migratory erythema. Early infection may present with headache, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes—symptoms similar to a cold. Without appropriate treatment, later stages may involve cardiac or neurological abnormalities.
The CDC urges the public to strengthen protective measures when outdoors or traveling to endemic areas, such as wearing light-colored long-sleeved clothing, gloves, and long boots, tucking pant legs into socks, and applying government‑approved insect repellents to exposed skin; before returning home, check for tick bites or attachments, and promptly bathe and change clothes; if a hard tick bite is found, use tweezers to grasp the tick’s mouthparts and carefully remove the tick, avoiding breakage of the mouthparts inside the body, and immediately wash the bite area with soap to reduce infection risk. If suspected symptoms appear, seek medical attention promptly and inform the physician of travel and exposure history for proper diagnosis and treatment. For related information, visit the CDC’s global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw), or call the toll‑free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (0800-001922) for inquiries.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Compiled by: Sensory Management Office
