In the 40 years since Steere and colleagues first described Lyme disease, the illness has increased in incidence and distribution to become the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Public health officials have developed, implemented, and revised surveillance systems to describe and monitor the condition. Much has been learned about the epidemiology of the illness, despite practical and logistical constraints that have encumbered the collection and interpretation of surveillance data. Future development of automated data collection from electronic health records as a source of surveillance and clinical information will address practical challenges and help answer ongoing questions about complications and persistent symptoms. Robust surveillance will be essential to monitor the effectiveness and safety of future vaccines and other preventive measures.

中文翻译：

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美国莱姆病监测和流行病学：历史视角


自 Steere 及其同事首次描述莱姆病以来的 40 年里，该病的发病率和分布有所增加，成为美国最常见的病媒传播疾病。公共卫生官员已经开发、实施和修订了监测系统来描述和监测病情。尽管实际和后勤限制阻碍了监测数据的收集和解释，但人们对该疾病的流行病学了解很多。从电子健康记录中自动收集数据作为监测和临床信息来源的未来发展将解决实际挑战，并有助于回答有关并发症和持续症状的持续问题。强有力的监测对于监测未来疫苗和其他预防措施的有效性和安全性至关重要。