Objectives:

The purpose of the study was to evaluate Lyme borreliosis morbidity/ incidence rate among inhabitants of Podlaskie voivodship in the years 1996–2002.

Material and methods:

The notifiability of Lyme borreliosis cases from Podlasie region in 1996–2002 was analysed.

Results:

In Poland, 9437 cases of borreliosis were registered in years 1996–2002 including 2195 (23.26%) in Podlasie region. The morbidity rate of Podlasie region was: in 1996 – 15.05%; in 1997 – 30.79%; in 1998 – 46.56%; in 1999 – 33.96%, in 2000 – 21.29%, 2001 – 18.57% and in 2002 – 17.66% of all cases registered in the country. The incidence rate per 100 000 inhabitants in Podlasie region was higher than in Poland and equaled in 1996 to 9.09; in 1997 – 16.25; in 1998 – 29.37; in 1999 – 24.78; in 2000 – 32.2; in 2001 – 37.6 and 2002 – 29.4. In 2002 year, the incidence rate of Podlasie region exceeded 5.59-fold the incidence rate of the whole country. The highest morbidity rate was reported in the east and centre of the region (76.95%) abundant in large forests. A significantly lower rate was registered in the area of Augustowskie and Suwalskie Lake Districts (14.62%) and the lowest rate in the west of the region (6.7%). The incidence of the disease was analysed according to age of patients showing decrease in its incidence among patients over 60 years old. The highest number of cases was observed among patients aged 30–49, so Lyme borreliosis affects mainly professionally active people.

Conclusion:

The results of our studies indicate that Lyme borreliosis is a serious health problem among the inhabitants of Podlasie region, the area abundant in big forests being an endemic area of a main Lyme disease vector –Ixodes ricinus ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete.